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b"Why are spectacles so expensive? The sheer scale of EssilorLuxottica, the world\\u2019s biggest maker of eyewear and lenses, might have something to do with it. On 21st September, 2007, they paid $2.1 billion for the last major designer brand they didn\\u2019t already own: Oakley.\\nTheir empire now includes Dolce and Gabbana, Versace, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany, Persol, Ray-Ban and DKNY. But they don\\u2019t just make frames: they also own many opticians, including LensCrafters; a situation critics suggest has resulted in them effectively operating a price-fixing monopoly.\\xa0\\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly revisit the feud between Luxottica\\u2019s billionaire founder Leonardo Del Vecchio and Oakley\\u2019s James Jannard; ask if luxury eyewear can be considered an \\u2018essential\\u2019 product; and explain why, the next time you buy a bottle of booze, you might have less choice than you think\\u2026\\xa0\\nFurther Reading:\\n\\u2022 \\u2018Leonardo Del Vecchio, the Italian billionaire defying old age\\u2019 (Financial Times, 2019): https://www.ft.com/content/1fcf395e-eb39-11e9-85f4-d00e5018f061\\n\\u2022 \\u2018Meet the Four-Eyed, Eight-Tentacled Monopoly That is Making Your Glasses So Expensive\\u2019 (Forbes, 2014):\\nhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/anaswanson/2014/09/10/meet-the-four-eyed-eight-tentacled-monopoly-that-is-making-your-glasses-so-expensive/?sh=7ec0514c6b66\\n\\u2022 \\u201860 Minutes: Do you know who makes your glasses?\\u2019 (CBS, 2012): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvTWjWVY9Vo\\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.\\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.\\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices"