All the right specs
AS always, sometimes the best ideas are the most obvious ones.
Take Kevin Barr and his mate Scott Birdsall. The latter an avid cyclist, canoeist, sailor and triathlete, and the former is a surfer and sailor with 40years experience in the action sport and sunglass business.
“Scott was giving me grief one day to make him a set of glasses that he could use to read his performance statistics while he was riding,” Mr Barr said.
“He needs to wear glasses and wanted me to make him bifocals.
“So we made a photochromic lens with a small bifocal in it.”
The photochromic lens reacts to light, becoming darker the more light it perceives.
It was an idea that sat well with the Coast’s MAMIL’s (middle-aged men in Lycra), and led Mr Barr to create a company, BZOptics to market the new product.
He said with 70 per cent of people aged over 35 needing glasses to read, it seemed a good idea.
“We released them at the London Cycling and Triathlon Show couple of years ago and we now export to six countries,” he said.
“It was totally unique worldwide and that got us into the market and from there now do a range of glasses.”
The company had to start with making the glasses. Fortunately Mr Barr, a former sales representative for Oakley, had experience through another of his companies that manufactured sunglasses for the marine environment.
“Sourcing a photochromic lens with optional bi focal inserts involved a 12 month, world wide search,” he said.
“This world-first lens was sent to my frame manufacturer to develop a super-lightweight cycling frame adaptable for all face shapes and sizes and for wearer comfort under even gruelling conditions.”
In the company’s first year they sold about 5000 units, moving up to about 8000 last year.
“We retail primarily in the UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and little bit in Asia and Scandinavia,” Mr Barr said.
“Our target is to probably get to 50,000 a year.
“We are going to the NMC Cycling Show at the end of September which is the biggest in UK and our UK market is doubling every year.”
But one of the hardest element to overcome was the rusted-on devotion sportspeople have to their brands.
“In the cycling retail industry there’s this mentality that’s unless it’s Oakley it’s no good,” Mr Barr said.
“Our main growth has come through word of mouth. We are probably the smallest international sunglass company in world but we do some unique stuff.”
The sunglasses retail for $200 or $129 without bifocal.
WE ARE PROBABLY THE SMALLEST INTERNATIONAL SUNGLASS COMPANY IN WORLD, BUT WE DO SOME UNIQUE STUFF
KEVIN BARR, BZOPTICS FOUNDER