US Vision
U.S. Vision, a wholly owned subsidiary of Refac Optical Group, is an international optometric dispensary chain. The vast majority of these locations are leased spaces in large department stores, such as J.C. Penney, Boscov's, and The Bay. As of May 8, 2007, 500 locations in 47 states and Canada are in operation, consisting of licensed departments and freestanding stores.[1] In early 2008, due to an acquisition of BJ's Optical Centers located in many BJ's Wholesale Clubs, that number had grown to approximately 650 locations until 2019. On January 2nd, 2019 U.S. Vision withdrew from all BJ’s locations and terminated employment of over 1,000 U.S. Vision employees. U.S. Vision deals mainly in prescription eyewear, contact lenses, and optometry offices.
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1885; major expansion of business in 1972 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| Headquarters | Blackwood, New Jersey, USA |
Key people | William A. Schwartz Jr. |
| Products | Eyewear, Contact Lenses |
| Parent | Refac Optical Group |
| Website | www.usvision.com |
History
In 1885, William Well and Charles Ochs opened a retail optical store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that is still in operation today. With this as a beginning, other optical locations were purchased, starting the first optical store chain in the United States. In the early 1970s the company purchased Wall and Ochs, combined it with a manufacturing facility in Blackwood, New Jersey, and named the new combination of manufacturing and sales U.S. Vision.
Location names
U.S. Vision, being a parent company, is known under many different names throughout the U.S. and Canada. Primarily operating out of leased areas in large department stores such as J.C. Penney[2] and Boscov's[3], and named by simply adding Optical to the host store's name (exp: J.C. Penney Optical, Boscov's Optical). The company also provides wholesale lab services to independent practices[4] and some chain stores, such as BJ's Optical.[5]
