ANDRÉ OPTICAS

Oeiras 1981, two young optical apprentices find themselves on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Plínio, aged 22, had been working at the optical shop for about two years, along with his 20-year-old wife Ana. They were about to take a decisive step that would change the course of their lives: buying the small shop on Rua da Figueirinha in Oeiras. Sales were not great, and the owners wanted to pass on the business.

The story begins…

For 10 years, they worked on their own and, from very early, created a unique optical concept. Their passion for design and functionality elevated them to a market segment where quality was the standard. Their focus on exclusive brands, with high quality and timeless aesthetics, forced them to expand beyond the typical optical offerings in Portugal. Window display awards opened doors beyond national borders, and every trip they took brought new ideas. London, Amsterdam, Paris, Milan, New York, Istanbul, Vienna, Venice… these are just some of the places that served as inspiration for new concepts, brands, and ideas.

In 1998, they opened two new stores at Oeiras Parque Shopping Center. The best brands represented in Portugal were featured in their windows. Once again, the focus on quality, product exclusivity, and excellence in service strengthened their position.

In 2006, the company acquired one of the oldest optical stores in the country, Óptica do Chiado on Rua Garrett, which became part of the family. For the first time in Portugal, independent eyewear brands such as Cazal, Cutler and Gross, Dita, Oliver Peoples, Oliver Goldsmith, Mykita, Linda Farrow, Emmanuelle Khanh, Matsuda, André Courrèges… as well as unique services unknown to the general public were introduced.

In 2010, the brand’s flagship store was inaugurated at Avenida da Liberdade nº 136. A 600 m2 space designed with the customers’ well-being in mind. From the usual clinical services to custom-made glasses, the sale of accessories and furniture for clients to store and archive their collections, to a workshop for personalizing their pieces, nº 136 Avenida da Liberdade redefined the optical concept.