Visionworks

Visionworks
Private, subsidiary
Industry eyewear/optical retailing
Founded 1988 (1988)
Headquarters 175 E. Houston Street
San Antonio, Texas 78205
United States
Number of locations
 approx. 699 (as of 2015),[1][2] operated under various trade names (not the ECCA name)
Area served
 United States
Number of employees
 5,600[2]
Parent Highmark, Inc.
Website Official website Edit this at Wikidata
A Visionworks location in a strip mall in Hillsboro, Oregon

Visionworks of America, Inc. (formerly Eye Care Centers of America) is an American company which operates or manages 700 optical retail stores in 40 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.[1][2][3]The company was incorporated in 1988. It is based in Downtown San Antonio, Texas, and has about 5,600 employees.[2] Before June 2013, when it began operating under the Visionworks name, stores operated under eleven different trade names,[1] including "Eyemasters," "Visionworks," "Vision World," "Doctor's VisionWorks," "Dr. Bizer's VisionWorld," "Dr. Bizer's ValuVision," "Doctor's ValuVision," "Hour Eyes," "Stein Optical," "Eye DRx" and "Binyon's".[4]

Visionworks of America is a subsidiary of HVHC, a Highmark Inc. company.[5] Its former parent company, ECCA Holdings Corp., merged with Pittsburgh-based HVHC in 2006, resulting in Eye Care Centers of America Inc. becoming a wholly owned Highmark subsidiary. [4] ECCA had 385 stores, in 36 states, at that time.[4]

Its largest chains are Eyemasters, with about 160 stores,[6] and Visionworks, with 140 stores.[5]All stores sell designer and exclusive brand frames, lenses, sunglasses and accessories. Comprehensive service offerings include contact lens dispensing, in-store labs, which provide one-hour service on many prescriptions at nearly all locations and doctors of optometry at or next to every store. Visionworks also sells contact lenses online.[3]

Revenue in 2001, when the company had 360 stores (in 32 states) was $336 million.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Eye Care Centers of America hires new president, chief medical officer". San Antonio Business Journal. December 4, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Eye Care Centers of America, Inc". Bloomberg Businessweek. 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Visionworks Teams Up with ABC's "The Chew" to Accessorize Carla Hall". BusinessWire. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "Highmark completes merger with Eye Care Centers of America". San Antonio Business Journal. August 6, 2006. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Visionworks plans two store openings". Pittsburgh Business Times. September 23, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  6. ↑ "EyeMasters opens new store at the Live Oak Forum". San Antonio Business Journal. April 1, 2005. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Eye Care Center's sales slip slightly in 2001". San Antonio Business Journal. March 26, 2002. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
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