When ÓpticaPro went to the streets in January 2005, our cover belonged to Adão Ferreira de Pinho, a highly respected optician in the sector and owner of Adão Oculista. 200 numbers later, and in celebration year, we could not forget who is with us from the beginning. Paula Pinho, Adão’s daughter, and her husband Arlindo Teixeira told us what are the main challenges they face in managing the company today and left us their insight into the differences they have found in the market since ÓpticaPro was born.
What was the optics business like 15 years ago?
Arlindo Teixeira: We were at an easier stage than today. Now situations arise that have nothing to do with optics, beyond us, which are difficult to manage. For example, the integration of insurance companies in the optics sector, which completely alter and distort our activity.
Paula Pinho: In fact, this did not exist before, it was easier to work because we had no inhibitions or sales bans as we have now. And when ÓpticaPro was launched, we were in a very nice phase of our lives. 15 years ago, optics were more optical.
What do you mean?
PP: That there was no such silly and unreasonable competition, these low-cost notions – I have nothing against low-cost when it’s a real situation – where there are outlets where professionalism and quality of services is not what that is touted. And optics is a health sector, or it should be!
How do you imagine the optics 15 years from now?
PP: What we expect to happen is one thing, but what we think will happen is another. In our view, the optics will come together in groups to nullify the fact that they cannot work individually. That is, we may have our personal brand, but we will have to be part of working groups in order to get further. Unity is strength, it is a reality. And the opticians who are part of these groups have to stay true to themselves but align with a common path. I do not think that people alone can cope with these less positive situations in the industry.
AT: Within companies there are groups, discussing and distributing the work among the various people. The same thing will happen in the optics: we will discuss and analyze the path we want to follow… the group that we can integrate will be a working group with values identical to ours, transparent from the store window to the inside and from the inside the the outside, we have to always be clear to the customer.
Do you mean that independent optics will disappear?
PP: They will never disappear! At least we hope that Adão Oculista does not disappear. Now what I see is our company and others like ours aggregated within groups, with similar values and ideals. People will continue to look for their usual optics, their family optics.
At the time of this interview, published in OpticaPro 200, we didn´thad the information that Adão Oculista would join Optivisão, which happened in early January.
