“At least 2.2 billion persons are visually impaired or blind (worldwide), of which at least 1 billion have a preventable or treatable impairment”. According to statistics from the WHO 2020 report, many visual impairments may be prevented if there was greater awareness, prevention, and availability of vision health care. When we consider that 50% of the world’s population will be myopic by 2050, there is an urgent need to: make information, services, and eyeglasses products more accessible, but most importantly, more affordable.
These are the striking findings that motivated the development of Lapaire in Africa. Founded in 2018 in Kenya by Jerome Lapaire, a Swiss entrepreneur, the pan-African eyewear company Lapaire, is on a mission to revolutionise the eyewear sector in Africa. The young company began by testing the eyesight of Kenyans free of charge and providing them with low-cost eyeglasses (starting at $30) with flexible payment terms adapted to everyone’s budget. Subsequently adopting a pan-African expansion strategy to allow everyone to benefit from its offers, Lapaire has positioned itself in the eyewear market as one of the most dynamic players in the field of vision care.
“If someone had told me that my 2018 project would lead to the Lapaire of today, I would never have believed it! Today, we want to go even further!” Jerome Lapaire, who now heads more than 50 branches in Africa.
In 5 years, Lapaire has tested the eyesight of more than 200,000 people, 70% of whom were not wearing glasses when they came to Lapaire for an eye test. More than 100,000 people have already purchased their glasses with Lapaire. This shows that there is a real need to make these services more accessible and affordable to the population for their health and well-being.
It is crucial to note that this expansion plan contributes significantly to local economic development since Lapaire provides many positions for managers, opticians, and sales representatives, among others, as a result of these numerous branch openings. In addition, Lapaire significantly improves the everyday life, health and well-being of its consumers by ensuring greater visual health.
Today, Lapaire wants to allow everyone to have their eyesight tested and buy their glasses within 30 minutes of reach and plans to open more than 80 branches in Africa over the next 12 months so that going to the optician becomes as easy as going to a pharmacy. For Lapaire, allowing this accessibility means improving lives.
To Celebrate this quinquennium of hope and to thank all the people who have trusted the company since the beginning of the adventure, a special dinner and panel discussion was held on March 25, 2023, at Golden Tulip Canaan Kampala Hotel to celebrate Lapaire’s five-year anniversary. The game-changer Optician who has revolutionised eyewear, is taking great strides in realising his ambition to become the go-to eyewear brand in Africa.
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