From a single Lajpat Nagar store in 1960’s to 19 boutiques, an ecommerce platform and a growing national footprint, Dayal Opticals is betting on curated luxury, independent eyewear brands and an omnichannel strategy to drive its next phase of growth
Founded in 1961, Dayal Opticals has evolved from a single-store family business in Delhi into a premium luxury eyewear retailer with a growing national footprint. In an interview with BW Retail World, Sarvash Kalra, Director, Dayal Opticals, discusses the brand’s expansion beyond Delhi-NCR, its omnichannel strategy, luxury brand partnerships, evolving consumer preferences and the role of technology in shaping the future of eyewear retail.
Dayal Opticals has been a trusted name in premium eyewear for decades. How has the brand evolved, and what have been the key milestones in its journey from a family-run business to a leading luxury optical retailer?
Dayal Opticals has been around for a very long time. My grandfather founded the business in 1961 with a single store in Lajpat Nagar. My father later opened our first store in Khan Market in 1998, after spending years learning the business alongside my grandfather.
While we have expanded our footprint considerably, the core of the business remains unchanged — trust. We are building on that legacy while making our service more accessible across different parts of India.
When I joined the business in 2020, during Covid, we had around 11-12 stores. Today, we have 19 boutiques.
One of the key milestones has been our regional expansion. I realised that while we were primarily a Delhi-NCR brand, there was significant potential beyond the region, including in Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities. In 2023, we opened our first store outside NCR in the Tri-City area of Mohali-Chandigarh. The response was incredible.
There is a strong demand for luxury optical boutiques in cities where consumers have purchasing power and want access to leading brands, but may not have had access to trusted options. Beyond the sales numbers, seeing customers enjoy our curated collections and store experience was a major achievement for us.
Another significant milestone was the launch of our e-commerce platform in 2021. Many people advised me against it, but I saw a clear gap in the market. At that time, no luxury optical retailer in India had its own dedicated e-commerce platform.
If we wanted to evolve from a regional family business into a national brand, having a strong digital presence was essential. We faced some initial teething problems, but we persevered. Today, we have a dedicated e-commerce team, and the platform has performed extremely well in terms of web traffic and online conversions, while also driving footfall to our physical stores.
Earlier this year, we also entered Mumbai, which marked our first physical presence outside North India. It was a market I had wanted to enter for some time, and we were fortunate to secure a fantastic location.
Alongside expansion, a major focus has been building robust operational systems. Without strong back-end systems, it is extremely difficult to expand a physical retail network while scaling an e-commerce business simultaneously.
How would you define Dayal Opticals’ current position in India’s organised premium eyewear segment? Which categories and customer segments are driving the business?
The Indian optical industry remains highly fragmented and largely unorganised, which makes it difficult to quantify exact market share. However, within the organised luxury segment, we have established ourselves as a leader in luxury and independent eyewear.
Beyond conventional fashion labels, we have introduced more than 15-20 niche independent eyewear brands to India from Europe, Japan, the US and other markets.
Over six decades, we have built a strong, high-value customer base in North India, and we are now extending that reach nationwide through our website and new physical stores.
Our target audience is quite niche. We are not looking for mass accessibility, nor do I see us opening 150 stores simply for the sake of scale. We understand our target demographic and average order value.
Our products generally start at around Rs 5,000-10,000, depending on the location, and we predominantly cater to high-net-worth individuals and the top 1-2 per cent of consumers.
Over the next three to five years, what are your priorities in terms of new cities, retail expansion, omnichannel capabilities and luxury brand partnerships?
All three are core to our growth plan.
Physical boutiques remain a key priority. While I opened a new store within NCR recently, our strategic focus is on expanding outside NCR. We prefer to enter one key city at a time and build a strong local market presence.
Luxury is defined by experience, so I will never compromise on store quality simply to increase the store count. We recently entered Mumbai, but there is still enormous untapped potential in that market alone.
Ecommerce will continue to be an important growth driver. We have seen consistent quarter-on-quarter growth. Our biggest strength online is the sheer depth and breadth of our product collection.
Brand partnerships are also central to our DNA. Since 2014, we have brought around 15-20 niche luxury eyewear labels to India. These are not generic fashion labels; they are specialised eyewear makers.
I travel globally to identify brands with unique materials, craftsmanship and compelling stories that can fill gaps in the Indian market. Fortunately, we have had a very high success rate with the brands we have introduced.
Could you tell us more about the DO Outlet model and the upcoming store in Connaught Place?
We launched a separate vertical called DO Outlet, which is an outlet store concept designed to offer inventory at discounted prices.
Inventory management is a universal challenge in retail. At DO Outlet, we offer 100 per cent authentic products sourced through our official channels. These include end-of-season collections, final remaining colourways or pieces with minor cosmetic imperfections that do not affect their structural integrity or functionality.
It gives price-conscious consumers access to luxury eyewear at lower price points, while also helping us optimise inventory.
We launched our first outlet in Khan Market around 10-12 years ago, and we recently opened our second DO Outlet in Connaught Place.
CP has a massive footfall, including students, tourists and shoppers. Given its iconic status, it was a clear win-win for us.
What key consumer trends are shaping India’s eyewear market, particularly across luxury brands, prescription sunglasses and digitally enabled eye care? How is Dayal Opticals responding?
I see two major trends shaping the industry.
The first is quiet luxury and product quality. Consumers are moving away from loud, heavily logo-driven branding. They increasingly value understated luxury, premium quality and exclusivity.
Indian consumers are well travelled and understand global trends. They expect access to cutting-edge international brands when they walk into our stores.
The second is advanced eye-care technology. AI and advanced optical technology have transformed eye testing. We have invested in state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment.
While technology helps minimise manual errors, human expertise remains irreplaceable. Machines can measure data, but you need a highly skilled optometrist to interpret those measurements in the context of real-world vision problems and dispense the right lenses.
How important is human intervention when it comes to prescription eyewear?
Dispensing accurate and comfortable prescription glasses is at the heart of our value proposition.
We invest heavily in advanced diagnostic equipment and work closely with leading international lens manufacturers such as Zeiss, Essilor and Hoya.
Machines are excellent at collecting data, but human clinical judgement is essential when it comes to understanding a customer’s visual lifestyle and specific needs. That combination of technology and expertise is critical to delivering the right prescription and overall experience.
With growing competition from organised players and online-first brands, how does Dayal Opticals differentiate itself in terms of customer experience, brand partnerships and personalised service?
Luxury isn’t just about selling a product; luxury is about exclusivity and the overall experience.
What sets us apart is our curated selection of global independent brands, combined with deeply personalised service. The relationships we have built with families over 60 years are priceless.
Word-of-mouth recommendations remain our strongest marketing tool because eyewear isn’t just about fashion — it is also about health and vision.
Our omnichannel strategy gives us another significant advantage over pure-play online brands. Customers can discover collections online and then seamlessly visit our physical stores in Delhi or Mumbai for custom fittings, eye examinations and personalised consultations.
You recently entered Mumbai. Where is the new store located, and what makes it different?
The store is in Kala Ghoda and is our largest store to date, spread across more than 2,000 sq ft, which is substantial for an optical boutique.
We have designed it as a flagship destination, with a dedicated lens education wall, modern diagnostic testing rooms and a distinctive architectural aesthetic tailored specifically to Mumbai.
We wanted the store to reflect the character of the city while delivering the same level of luxury, expertise and personalised service that customers associate with Dayal Opticals.
The Lajpat Nagar store has a strong legacy and has been part of Delhi’s retail landscape for decades. How does it feel to see that history continue to resonate with customers?
I have heard so many nostalgic stories from our longstanding clients about the Lajpat Nagar store.
Hearing how much history people associate with our brand makes me incredibly proud. That emotional connection is a testament to the trust my grandfather built when he started the business in 1961.
As we expand into new cities, launch new formats and build our digital presence, preserving that trust remains at the heart of everything we do.
