Owndays expands in Australia with two new stores

Tokyo-based eyewear giant Owndays has expanded its presence in Australia with the opening of two new stores in Sydney.

The new stores, located in Westfield Hurstville and Westfield Burwood, opened earlier this summer.

The Australian expansion builds on the success of the joint venture between omnichannel brand partner and operator Bluebell Group and Owndays in Hong Kong, where the group currently operates 16 Owndays stores.

Owndays first entered the Australian market in 2015 with a store in Westfield Chatswood, followed by another in Sydney City in May 2016. Looking ahead, Bluebell Group plans to leverage its knowledge of the Owndays brand, local landlord relationships, and expertise in retail strategy to further expand the brand’s network Australia wide. 

“Thanks to the tremendous development of our joint venture with Owndays in Hong Kong, we are pleased to extend our partnership to the Australian market and proud to have launched two new stores this year,” said Nelly Ngadiman, managing director of Southeast Asia and Australia. 

“We look forward to reshaping the landscape of eyewear retail in Australia, through the brand’s unique eyewear offer and service, which we are both committed to delivering.”

Owndays, founded in Tokyo in 1989, has grown into a leading optical retailer in the Asia-Pacific region under the leadership of Shuji Tanaka since 2008. The company sells over 2.5 million pairs of glasses annually across more than 120 locations in 12 markets.

More recently, it merged with India’s prescription eyewear company, Lenskart, in June 2022, further solidifying its position as a global eyewear industry leader.