SPECTACLES

After much digging, 21-year- old James Murray Wells discovered that spectacles cost an average of £7 or less to manufacture, yet the average spend on specs last year was £149. “Prices are inflated on the high street,” he says. “It’s profiteering.” From his parents’ living room, he began selling glasses priced from £15 at www.glassesdirect.co.uk; now, much to the relief of his mother, he has moved the rapidly expanding business into a converted barn. From the prescription your optician is obliged to give you, simply fill in the details online and pick your frames. Beware, however, as prices can creep up. The option for thin lenses, for example, adds £40. Still, the average spend is about £30, says Murray Wells, and designer frames, which will also be a third cheaper, are coming soon… this is one of those sites that has the potential to revolutionise its market.