New Berlin, WI – Wisconsin Vision, the state’s largest independently-owned optical company, announced today that it will open its 40th location at The Corners of Brookfield May 1st. That store will follow the opening of the retailer’s Shorewood location on Oakland Avenue April 1st.
Both The Corners and Shorewood Wisconsin Vision locations will feature a contemporary, boutique style aesthetic and shopping experience. In addition to the product found in most Wisconsin Vision locations, the new stores will carry a select list of popular, upscale brands that include Tom Ford, Ray Ban, Prada, Coach, John Varvatos and Chloe to name a few.
“We’ve had our eye on The Corners for quite a while. It’s the largest and most exciting retail and lifestyle real estate development we’ve seen in the state in a long time,” said Wisconsin Vision President and CEO Darren Horndasch. “The opportunity to be The Corner’s exclusive, standalone optical retailer sealed the deal for us.”
The 1,800 square-foot Corner’s location will be Wisconsin Vision’s first store open seven days a week. In addition to prescriptive eyewear, the store will carry a larger portfolio of consumer products including sun glasses.
Wisconsin Vision’s new Shorewood store at 4163 N. Oakland Avenue is located in an area re-energized with new retail and dining options including a Metro Market and recently opened, The Rukus restaurant. The Shorewood Wisconsin Vision store is 1,900 square feet.
“This is much more of a walking community than where our stores are typically located,” said Horndasch. “Most of our stores are drive to stores. The Shorewood location will be much more like our Third Ward location where we’ll see lots of walk in traffic.”
While Wisconsin Vision closely monitors the growth in the online vision retail sector, Horndasch still sees the best opportunities on the ground with a targeted bricks and mortar expansion strategy. He says the online vision retail experience is not designed for customers who want to use vision insurance plans to pay for purchases. Wisconsin Vision is a designated vision provider for a number of key vision benefits and insurance companies.
