NEW YORK--America is truly a country on the move.
Population shifts, economic trends, real estate waves and business developments are transforming such major metro areas as Atlanta, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Washington D.C. and Miami.
But in mid-sized and smaller cities around the country, too, changes in the residential and commercial character of many towns are dramatically changing not only the culture of those communities but the business climate as well.
For vision-related businesses, these changes mean opportunities. Older retirees’ aging eyes require particular ophthalmic services while active Baby Boomers’ leisure-time lifestyles dictate new lens, eyewear and sunwear options.
In other instances, a growing young professional base, new families, or college students bring their own preferences and purse strings.
Vision Monday, with the assistance of Jobson Optical Research, searched out national data on population and demographic trends, real estate development, retail expansion, new business startups and construction statistics and sorted through various reports and rankings of large, mid-sized and small cities and metropolitan statistical areas (MSA’s).
Among those sources were National Association of Realtors’ May 2006 report; Forbes’ Magazine’s Best Places for Business annual ranking; Inc Magazine’s “Boomtowns ‘06” report on Hottest Large Cities and Midsize Cities, Fortune Magazine’s 2006 real estate forecast on the 100 largest markets and the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent data.
We combined that research with Jobson’s own proprietary Census database of optical retail locations across the U.S. Jobson Census information enables us to report on how many vision care locations operate in a specific city, and provides insights into average dollar revenues and the composition of independents and chains in particular markets.
From all of those sources, VM’s editors identified several ‘hot’ markets on which to shine a spotlight.
The unique features of Austin, Texas; Sarasota, Fla.; and the Charlotte/Gastonia/Rock Hill area of North and South Carolina are good examples of how towns transform, keeping their traditional character even as they welcome newcomers and modern cultural ideas to the area.
We checked in with local area optical retailers and eyecare professionals to capture their insights about their markets and learn how they tailor their merchandising, their mix and their messages to their changing customer base. --The Editors
| Are you operating in a Hot Market? We’d like to hear from you.
Vision Monday plans to update this feature over the coming months, so email us at [email protected] and tell us how your town is growing, and how your practice or retail operation is keeping pace |
