# Number of opticians in France: 17,000 stores in 2026

> Number of opticians in France: about 17,000 stores and 55,386 registered opticians in 2026. Networks, independents, regions, revenue.

Source: https://scalon.fr/en/observatory/number-of-opticians-in-france

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[← The Observatory](/en/observatory)

Observatory · Health and social services

How many optical stores are there, who runs them, how much revenue do they generate, and where are they located? A location-by-location count using the November 8, 2026 health professional registry, for anyone selling to these businesses or building a prospect list.

By [Nicolas Morillot](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-morillot-22b656174/) · Co-founder of Scalon

Health professional registry (RPPS), November 8, 2026 · Sirene registry, September 24, 2026 · Network structure reviewed November 9, 2026 · DREES, Insee (France's national statistics office), optical networks

The short answer

In November 2026, France has about 17,000 active optical stores, including overseas territories (17,044 by Scalon's count). The health professional registry lists 55,386 registered opticians as of November 8, 2026. About one store in two is independent, with no chain name and no displayed buying group; cooperatives account for 1 in 5. The most widely cited official figure comes from DREES: 44,238 active opticians under age 62 as of January 1, 2024, its latest published count.

Get the list of the 17,000 optical stores in France, with the contact details available.

Published on November 9, 2026

Key figures

17,044

Active optical stores

Scalon's most likely total, November 2026, including overseas territories

55,386

Registered opticians

Health professional registry as of November 8, 2026, including 39,944 with a reported practice location

52%

Independent stores, with no chain name and no displayed buying group

At most 8,885 out of 17,044 (between 45 and 56%); 403 others display their buying group and are counted separately

€528,000

Revenue for a single store: half exceed this amount

847 companies with one store each that publish their accounts

74%

Locations with a public phone number

Out of 1,000 sampled locations; 37% have a website, 11.4% an email address

## In this article

- Number of opticians: the answer depends on your question
- How many opticians are there in France?
- Opticians or stores: what each figure counts
- Has the store count grown since 2003?
- How much is the optical market worth in euros?
- Which NAF code applies to an optician?
- Market terminology
- Level 1. The full pool: 20,693 locations in the registries
- Level 2. The 17,000 active optical stores
- Level 3. Who practices: 55,386 registered opticians
- Level 4. Channels: stores, mass retailers, mutual insurers, pharmacies
- Level 5. Independents, cooperatives, franchises: who runs the stores?
- Level 6. Where are the optical stores?
- Counting stores today: a Sirene extract, a NAF code, and a date
- Optical submarkets
- How do you use these figures for market research?
- How do you build a prospect list of optical stores?
- Frequently asked questions
- Method

## Number of opticians: the answer depends on your question

| Question | Figure to use | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| How many active optical stores? | 17,044 | Scalon, November 2026 |
| How many locations with a registered optician? | 16,257 | RPPS registry, November 8, 2026 |
| How many registered opticians? | 55,386 | RPPS registry, November 8, 2026 |
| How many opticians with a reported practice location? | 39,944 | RPPS registry, November 8, 2026 |
| How many active opticians under age 62? | 44,238 | DREES, January 1, 2024 |
| How many independent stores? | At most 8,885 (about 52%), plus 403 stores that display a buying group | Scalon, November 9, 2026 |
| Which are the largest networks? | Groupement Optic 2000 and Krys Group: an estimated 1,500 and 1,450 stores (1,473 published for Groupement Optic 2000, comprising Optic 2000's 1,223 and Lissac's 250; 1,675 for Krys Group) | Scalon and the networks |
| How much revenue does a single-store company generate? | About €528,000 | Scalon, published accounts |
| How much is the market worth? | €8.3B in 2025 | DREES |

Caption: from 20,693 locations in the registries to 17,044 optical stores, about half of them independent. Scalon, November 2026. Scalon Observatory, November 2026.

The right answer depends on the question. To know how many stores you can visit or call, use 17,044. To sell to a central buyer, look at network headquarters. To reach a local decision maker, focus on stores with no chain name.

**For sales reps: who, how many, and where.**

- **Who decides**: the owner, in at most 8,885 independent stores (52%). For supplier approval, each of the 7 largest groups represents 658 to 1,492 stores.
- **How many**: 17,000 stores; 2 to 3 registered opticians per store; €528,000 in revenue for half of the companies with one store each that publish their accounts.
- **Where**: Paris has 48 optical locations per 100,000 residents, compared with an average of 24 in France.
- **How to reach them**: 74% have a phone number on a public listing, 11.4% an email address. See How do you build a prospect list of optical stores? for details.

## How many opticians are there in France?

The latest figure comes from the health professional registry: 55,386 registered opticians as of November 8, 2026; the most widely cited figure comes from DREES:

France had 44,200 active opticians as of January 1, 2024, according to [DREES](https://drees.solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/communique-de-presse-jeux-de-donnees/241202_Data_professionnels-de-sante-1er-janvier-2024). This figure includes only professionals under age 62.

There is more than one count of opticians. It all depends on what you count: people who practice, or stores that sell glasses.

DREES (the statistics department of France's social ministries) counts health professionals. The same dataset also lists 5,000 hearing aid specialists and 4,500 other medical device professionals.

The latest official figure no longer comes from DREES. It has published no optician counts after January 1, 2024: its July 2025 and July 2026 releases do not cover opticians, who moved from the former ADELI directory to the health professional registry (RPPS) in 2024.

That registry lists 55,386 registered opticians as of November 8, 2026 (a public extract from the Agence du numérique en santé). The Agence du numérique en santé reported 52,705 opticians "in practice" as of September 25, 2025: a narrower definition than our 55,386 registrants, so the figures cannot be compared. The registry counts everyone registered, with no age limit or activity requirement: this cannot be read as an increase over DREES's 44,238 either.

Of these 55,386 registrants, 39,944 report a practice location. Women account for 61% (33,858). Among those who report practicing, 75.8% are employees (30,294) and 24.2% are self-employed (9,650); the self-employed opticians run their stores, alone or with others. The DREES series is detailed below.

## Opticians or stores: what each figure counts

Three official figures are in circulation. They measure different things:

- **44,200 active opticians under age 62.** People. Source: DREES, as of January 1, 2024.

- **40,755 practicing opticians.** People as well. Source: the ministry's January 12, 2023 response to the Sénat (France's Senate; question no. 1350 from 2022). The response cites neither its source nor its reference year.

- **12,700 stores in subclass 47.78A.** Stores. Source: Insee, a figure from 2013 (the final point in a 2003–2013 series), published in [Insee Première n° 1576](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1560279) on November 17, 2015.

Subclass 47.78A is a NAF code (the French activity classification code, also called APE code) in NAF rév. 2, Insee's activity classification. It covers optical retail.

An optician is not a store. A store may employ several opticians, and an optician may work outside a store.

Dividing 44,200 by 12,700 therefore does not give a number of opticians per store. The figures have different dates and sources.

The two counts of people can be compared: 40,755 and 44,200 are two points in the same DREES series (details below).

Linking our two registries by location shows an average of 2.69 registered opticians, or 2 to 3, at each location where at least one practices. Of these locations, 6,111 have just one, while 1,475 have 6 or more.

### Why the figures differ

| Figure | What it counts | Source and date |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 44,238 | Active opticians under age 62 | DREES, January 1, 2024 |
| 55,386 | Opticians registered in RPPS | Registry, November 8, 2026 |
| 13,300 | Optical stores | Xerfi and Visionère, 2025 |
| 17,044 | Optical stores considered active | Scalon, November 2026 |

All the figures in circulation, with their sources

| Figure | What it counts | Source and date |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 44,238 | Active opticians under age 62 | DREES, January 1, 2024 |
| 40,755 | Active opticians under age 62 | DREES, January 1, 2022, cited by the ministry in its response to the Sénat on January 12, 2023 |
| 52,705 | Practicing opticians registered in RPPS | Agence du numérique en santé, September 25, 2025 version |
| 55,386 | Opticians registered in RPPS | Registry, November 8, 2026 |
| 12,700 | Optical stores | Insee, 2013 |
| 15,300 | Optical retailers | CCI Paris Île-de-France, 2018, citing Insee without specifying the year |
| 13,300 | Optical stores | Xerfi and Visionère, 2025 |
| More than 16,000 | Retail locations | Study for ROF, late 2025, cited by Extencia, original source not reviewed |
| 14,000 | Stores in the panel | GfK, cited by Extencia |
| 17,044 | Optical stores considered active | Scalon, November 2026 |

The gap comes from the method. The 13,300 figure comes from market studies that do not publish their lists. Our total starts with every location where a registered optician practices (16,257), or that is registered as an optical retailer (19,444). We reviewed a sample of 200 locations. One possible explanation: it includes more small stores that market studies do not list. Our counts by network mostly match the figures published by the networks (level 5).

## Has the store count grown since 2003?

For stores, yes, over the period Insee measured. Their number rose from 8,300 in 2003 to 12,700 in 2013. That is average growth of 4.3% per year over ten years.

The Insee series ends there. More recent figures come from market studies (13,300 in 2025) or sources that do not state the year of their data (15,300 in 2018).

For people, the increase is clear. The same DREES series rose from 23,309 in 2012 to 40,755 as of January 1, 2022 and 44,238 as of January 1, 2024: +90% in twelve years.

### Is the market still changing today?

Yes: every year since 2015, more locations register under the optical retail code than leave it. The net increase was +428 in 2024 and +359 in 2025.

| Year | Openings | Closures | Net change |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2023 | 1,402 | 947 | +455 |
| 2024 | 1,525 | 1,097 | +428 |
| 2025 | 1,303 | 944 | +359 |

Openings and closures from 2015 to 2022

| Year | Openings | Closures | Net change |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2015 | 1,153 | 842 | +311 |
| 2016 | 1,346 | 876 | +470 |
| 2017 | 1,237 | 896 | +341 |
| 2018 | 1,150 | 925 | +225 |
| 2019 | 1,300 | 965 | +335 |
| 2020 | 1,023 | 839 | +184 |
| 2021 | 1,246 | 858 | +388 |
| 2022 | 1,289 | 835 | +454 |
| 2023 | 1,402 | 947 | +455 |
| 2024 | 1,525 | 1,097 | +428 |
| 2025 | 1,303 | 944 | +359 |

These are locations under code 47.78A in the Sirene registry: a registration does not always mean a new store, nor does a closure always mean a store shutting its doors. But the direction is clear, and it affects your lists: last year's list already includes stores that have disappeared.

Of the 19,444 active locations under the optical retail code, 5,610 are less than 5 years old (28.9%) and 1,456 are more than 30 years old (7.5%); half are more than 10 years old.

The people running these businesses are getting older: of the 958 identified, half are 49 or older and 161 are 60 or older (16.8%). In practice, this is a market where some stores will be passed on to new owners in the coming years.

## How much is the optical market worth in euros?

Spending on corrective eyewear reached €8.3 billion in 2025 (€8,331M, +0.9%), according to DREES's health accounts. Supplementary health insurers fund 69% and households 26%.

Retail sales panels report lower figures: €7.29B over the 12 months through July 2026 (GfK, −3.4%), and €7.6B in 2024 (an average of market studies, Visionère). They measure a different part of the market than the health accounts do.

For individual stores, here is what we measured. Of 14,483 optical companies queried, 1,091 publish revenue for fiscal year 2024 or later. Among the 847 companies with just one store, half exceed €528,000. A quarter are below €243,000 and a quarter exceed €946,000.

| Revenue | Companies with one store | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Under €300K | 263 | 31.1% |
| €300K to €500K | 141 | 16.6% |
| €500K to €1M | 255 | 30.1% |
| €1M to €2M | 165 | 19.5% |
| €2M and above | 23 | 2.7% |
| **Total** | **847** | **100%** |

The highest published revenue is GrandVision France's: €679M for 519 locations registered in its name.

These figures come with a caveat: they include only companies that choose to publish their revenue. In practice, to estimate the revenue of a store run by a single-store company, with or without a chain name, start with €528,000; for a budget, assume one store in three generates less than €300K (K: thousands of euros), and €2M or more is rare.

## Which NAF code applies to an optician?

An optical store generally registers under code 47.78A, "commerce de détail d'optique" (optical retail). This code is a registry reference, not a definition: an optical store sells prescription glasses and contact lenses to the public on its premises (we also count about 117 sunglasses stores belonging to an optical chain).

The code changes on January 1, 2027 with NAF 2025: it will become 47.74G. In the registry, 19,414 of the 19,444 active locations under code 47.78A are already classified under 47.74G. In addition, 690 active locations are registered under the eyewear manufacturing code (32.50B); these are not stores.

## Market terminology

Market terminology in plain English

| Term | Plain definition |
| --- | --- |
| Optician | A qualified professional who fits and dispenses corrective lenses and contact lenses. Only an optician may sell them (Code de la santé publique, France's public health code, L4362-9). |
| Optical store | A location where an optician sells prescription glasses and contact lenses to the public, including about 117 sunglasses stores belonging to an optical chain. Code 47.78A is the registry reference. |
| Opticians' cooperative | A network whose opticians are members and own their stores (Krys, Optic 2000, Atol). Each member owns its store but operates under the network's name and buys collectively, so Scalon does not count it as independent. |
| Franchise | An optician operates under a franchisor's name (Alain Afflelou). |
| Company-owned store | A store owned directly by the network's parent company. |
| Buying group | An organization that negotiates purchases for independent stores that continue operating under their own names (Centrale des Opticiens, Luz, Groupe All). |
| Mutual insurer chain | Nonprofit stores run by mutual insurers (Écouter Voir). |
| 100% Santé | An eyewear package with no out-of-pocket cost for people covered by a qualifying supplementary health insurance plan. |
| RPPS | Répertoire partagé des professionnels de santé, France's shared directory of health professionals, maintained by the Agence du numérique en santé. It lists each optician and their practice location. |
| Independent, "no chain name" (Scalon) | In market terms, a store outside any chain, franchise, shared storefront name, or network. Scalon classifies a store as having "no chain name" if no chain name appears in its public listings. A store that displays its buying group is counted separately; one that does not display it cannot be told apart from an independent. |

## Level 1. The full pool: 20,693 locations in the registries

The broadest level brings together all locations that could be optical stores. There are 20,693: 19,444 active locations under the optical retail code (47.78A), plus 1,249 locations where a registered optician practices under another code. Since records began, 35,859 locations have opened under this code and 16,415 have closed.

| Location group | Locations | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Optical code and registered optician | 15,008 | nearly 3 in 4 |
| Optical code with no registered optician | 4,436 | 21.4% |
| Registered optician under another code | 1,249 | 6.0% |
| **Total** | **20,693** | **100%** |

In practice, a list built on the code alone has 19,444 rows, including 4,436 with no registered optician.

**Selling to optical stores in France?** Get the list for your area and your target, ready to call.

## Level 2. The 17,000 active optical stores

Not every row represents a store. We randomly sampled 200 (80, 80, and 40 by group), and Scalon reviewed them twice, independently, before resolving disagreements.

| Location group | Locations | Stores counted | Share counted |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Optical code and registered optician | 15,008 | 14,633 | 97.5% |
| Optical code with no registered optician | 4,436 | 1,802 | 40.6% |
| Registered optician under another code | 1,249 | 609 | nearly 1 in 2 |
| **Total** | **20,693** | **17,044** | more than 4 in 5 |

A location with no optician registered under its ID and no public listing is most often a dormant company, headquarters, or an online seller. Under other codes, we find optical departments in mass retailers, pharmacies, or mutual insurers. We also find ophthalmology practices and parent companies that duplicate a store already counted.

The total therefore retains some uncertainty. It would be 16,574 if none of the uncertain cases were stores, and 19,565 if all were. Our figure of 17,044 is the most likely.

## Level 3. Who practices: 55,386 registered opticians

Of the 39,944 opticians reporting a practice location, 35,422 practice at one location, 3,510 at two, and 997 at three or more; 15 report an organization with no linked location. One in four opticians who report practicing is self-employed (9,650) and is the person to contact about buying equipment.

| Opticians registered at the location | Locations | Share of the 16,257 locations |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | 6,111 | 37.6% |
| 2 | 3,896 | 24.0% |
| 3 | 2,404 | 14.8% |
| 4 to 5 | 2,371 | 14.6% |
| 6 and above | 1,475 | 9.1% |
| **Locations with a registered optician** | **16,257** | **100%** |
| Stores with no optician registered under their ID | 787 |  |
| **Estimated optical stores** | **17,044** |  |

In practice, a typical store has 2 to 3 opticians, but nearly one location in 10 has 6 or more, and those larger locations offer the greatest opportunities for equipment sales.

The registry also lists 7,555 registered hearing aid specialists. Of the optical locations, 1,475 have at least one (9.1%): this is the combined optical and hearing care market. This 1,475 happens to be the same count as locations with 6 or more opticians: these are two different groups, with only 350 locations in common.

## Level 4. Channels: stores, mass retailers, mutual insurers, pharmacies

Not every location where an optician practices is an optical store. Here is what the stores do, based on their listings and our review of 200 locations:

| Channel | Stores | Share | Details |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Optical stores (independent or network members) | 16,271 | 95.5% | Including sunglasses (Sunglass Hut, about 120 locations in its name) |
| Mutual insurer stores | 690 | 4.0% | Écouter Voir, the mutual insurers' national chain, reports about 700 stores; our 690 also include regional mutual insurers' stores under their own names |
| Mass retailer departments | 83 | 0.5% | At least 83 departments identified; Leclerc alone reports more than 85 optical departments: our figure is a minimum |
| **Total** | **17,044** | **100%** |  |

This puts the first channel, independent shops and network members, at about 16,300 stores. Pharmacy departments are not measured: 123 locations where an optician practices are registered under the pharmacy code, a registry reference.

Pharmacy departments are a separate channel: see the [number of pharmacies in France](/en/observatory/number-of-pharmacies-in-france). These channels are **submarkets**: each has its own buyer and purchasing process. The breakdown of locations by registry code is provided as a reference in the method section.

## Level 5. Independents, cooperatives, franchises: who runs the stores?

For a supplier, the question is how many separate purchasing decision makers there are. A store with no chain name decides for itself. A cooperative member makes its own decisions but does much of its buying through the cooperative's own purchasing office. Franchisees and company-owned stores follow purchasing decisions made at network headquarters.

### Two measures of independence

**Independents, buying group members, networks: Scalon's definition.** An independent store, in market terms, is outside any chain, franchise, shared storefront name, or network. We can observe the affiliations a store displays in its public listings. Based on a reviewed and corrected sample of 1,000 locations, 9,288 of the 17,044 stores display no chain name or network affiliation: about 54%, between 47 and 58%. Of these, about 403 display their buying group (a Centrale des Opticiens email address): we count them separately, between chain stores and independents. That leaves about 8,885 independents, 52.1% (between 45 and 56%). This is an upper bound: only members that display their buying group are identified, and membership that is not displayed cannot be measured.

During the review, 13 of the 78 reviewed stores classified as having no chain name displayed a network name: 5 were actual networks (Lissac, Atol, Les Opticiens Conseils, Optical Factory, a mutual insurer center), corrected here; the others were a supplier label (Les Opticiens par Conviction), buying group labels (Optikid for Luz, Mon Opticien for Centrale des Opticiens), left among independents because we identify members only through a Centrale des Opticiens email address, or standalone stores.

**Other sources and their definitions.** Visionère puts independents at 47% of retail locations in 2025, Luz at 51% (June 2026, based on a 2024 study), and Xerfi at about 40% in 2025. Insee wrote in 2013 that a little more than half of stores belonged to a chain network. Visionère (47%) and Luz (51%) are close; Xerfi (about 40%) counts fewer. One possible explanation: our total includes more small stores that market studies do not list.

Buying groups serve stores with no chain name that keep their own names. The three buying groups (Centrale des Opticiens 2,393, Luz 2,220, Groupe All 2,030) together report about 6,600 retail locations, including overlaps: many stores with no chain name therefore buy through a buying group; for a supplier, approval by the buying group matters as much as store visits. Membership rarely appears on listings: we identify only about 403 members, counted separately; the others remain mixed in with the 8,885 independents.

Another, secondary detail: 4,566 locations under the optical code belong to a company operating 2 to 9 locations, and 1,951 to a company operating 10 or more.

### A cross-check: the networks' own figures

The networks publish their store counts for France: Groupement Optic 2000 1,473, Krys Group 1,615 to 1,675, Afflelou 844, Atol 800, GrandVision 862 to 900, Écouter Voir 700, Jimmy Fairly 116, Optique Lafayette 57, Visual 70, Leclerc 85. Where no figure is published for France, we keep our estimates or our own findings: Optical Center 704, Sunglass Hut 117, Acuitis 140, Les Opticiens Conseils more than 30 ("30+ points of sale" according to their web agency's page; 38 in 2013 according to FréquenceOptic). Together, these total 7,613 to 7,711 stores with a chain name.

That leaves 9,333 to 9,431 stores with no chain name, or 54.8 to 55.3% of the 17,044: the same proportion as our measurement (54%). The limitation: small networks that do not publish their store counts.

### Independents by region

Among the 731 sampled stores with a registered optician, about 3 in 4 stores in Île-de-France have no chain name (123 out of 161), compared with about one in two elsewhere: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 54.1%, Occitanie 46.0%. In practice, visiting stores individually matters more in Île-de-France than gaining network approval.

Share of stores with no chain name by region, sample of 1,000 locations (regions with at least 30 stores)

| Region | Sampled locations | No chain name | Share | Margin of error (percentage points) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Île-de-France | 161 | 123 | 76.4% | 6.6 |
| Grand Est | 59 | 33 | 55.9% | 12.7 |
| Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 85 | 46 | 54.1% | 10.6 |
| Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 60 | 32 | 53.3% | 12.6 |
| Normandie | 34 | 18 | 52.9% | 16.8 |
| Hauts-de-France | 63 | 33 | 52.4% | 12.3 |
| Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | 67 | 34 | 50.7% | 12.0 |
| Occitanie | 63 | 29 | 46.0% | 12.3 |
| Pays de la Loire | 30 | 13 | 43.3% | 17.7 |
| Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | 38 | 16 | 42.1% | 15.7 |

### Types of networks

Caption: about half of stores are independent, and cooperatives account for 1 store in 5. Sample of 1,000 locations corrected through a review of 200, Scalon, November 9, 2026. Scalon Observatory, November 2026.

Breakdown by network type, with examples

| Type | Estimated stores | Share of the 17,044 | Examples |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Independent (no chain name, no displayed buying group) | 8,885 | 52.1% | Standalone stores; an upper bound, since undisplayed buying group membership cannot be measured |
| Displayed buying group member | 403 | 2.4% | Centrale des Opticiens (email address on listings) |
| Cooperative | 3,400 | 19.9% | Optic 2000, Krys, Le Collectif des Lunetiers, Atol, Lynx |
| Franchised or company-owned | 2,727 | 16.0% | Alain Afflelou (franchise); Générale d'Optique, GrandOptical, Optical Center, Lissac (franchises and company-owned stores); Sunglass Hut, Jimmy Fairly (company-owned stores) |
| Mutual insurer | 690 | 4.0% | Écouter Voir and regional mutual insurers |
| Network identified only during review | 636 | 3.7% | Lissac, Atol, Les Opticiens Conseils, Optical Factory, mutual insurer center: chain names missing from listings |
| Type not established | 220 | 1.3% | Acuitis, Optique Lafayette |
| Mass retailer department | 83 | 0.5% | Leclerc, Auchan, Carrefour, Costco |
| **Total** | **17,044** | **100%** | Shares rounded |

### The largest networks

Caption: two groups, Optic 2000 and Krys, each exceed 1,400 stores. Estimate based on a sample of 1,000 locations, Scalon, November 9, 2026. Scalon Observatory, November 2026.

Scalon's estimated store counts and the figures published by each network

| Group | Stores estimated by Scalon | Stores reported by the network |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Groupement Optic 2000 | 1,492 | Optic 2000: 1,223 (April 30, 2026), plus Lissac: 250 |
| Krys Group | 1,447 | 1,675 (late 2025) or 1,615 (2026 report) |
| Groupe Afflelou | 854 | 844 (July 31, 2026) |
| Atol | 815 | about 800 (2026) |
| GrandVision (Générale d'Optique, GrandOptical) | 658 | nearly 900 (862 according to the Fédération française de la franchise) |
| Sunglass Hut | 117 | not published |
| Optical Center | 704 | not published for France (820 worldwide) |
| Mutual insurers (Écouter Voir and regional mutual insurers) | 690 | Écouter Voir alone: about 700 (2026) |
| Groupe Héron (Acuitis) | 140 | not published for France |
| Laf Santé (Optique Lafayette) | 80 | 57 (2025) |
| Jimmy Fairly | 40 | 116 (2026) |

Our estimates are within 15% of the published figures for Optic 2000, Afflelou, and Atol; our 690 mutual insurer stores and Écouter Voir's 700 do not cover the same scope: for Écouter Voir alone, we estimate 452 stores, 35% fewer than the 700 published. Krys Group (−10 to −14%) and especially GrandVision (−24 to −27%) are underestimated: one possible explanation is stores whose listings do not display the chain name. For a small network, the estimate from 1,000 locations is unreliable in either direction: Laf Santé is estimated at 80 stores versus 57 reported, Jimmy Fairly at 40 versus 116.

The market is more concentrated by revenue than by store count. Krys Group accounts for 18.8% of the market (€1.457B), Groupement Optic 2000 for 16%, and Écouter Voir for 6.4%. Seven groups operating under chain names generate 70% of revenue (Xerfi, September 2025 study, cited by L'Express Franchise on December 26, 2025). Independents generate about 25% of revenue (Visionère, Luz) from half the stores: a smaller account, but a single decision maker.

## Level 6. Where are the optical stores?

The registry lists 2,953 optical locations with a registered optician in Île-de-France, or 18.2% of the total, followed by 2,014 in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Relative to population, the gap looks different: France has 23.9 locations per 100,000 residents, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur 26.4, Île-de-France 23.7, and Hauts-de-France 22.2.

| Region | Locations with a registered optician | Share of the 16,257 locations | Per 100,000 residents |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Île-de-France | 2,953 | 18.2% | 23.7 |
| Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 2,014 | 12.4% | 24.5 |
| Occitanie | 1,507 | 9.3% | 24.6 |
| Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 1,494 | 9.2% | 24.3 |
| Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | 1,377 | 8.5% | 26.4 |

Optical locations in every region, showing how the count relates to the 17,044 stores

| Region | Locations with a registered optician | Share of the 16,257 locations | Per 100,000 residents |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Île-de-France | 2,953 | 18.2% | 23.7 |
| Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 2,014 | 12.4% | 24.5 |
| Occitanie | 1,507 | 9.3% | 24.6 |
| Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 1,494 | 9.2% | 24.3 |
| Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | 1,377 | 8.5% | 26.4 |
| Grand Est | 1,347 | 8.3% | 24.2 |
| Hauts-de-France | 1,328 | 8.2% | 22.2 |
| Pays de la Loire | 931 | 5.7% | 23.8 |
| Bretagne | 858 | 5.3% | 24.9 |
| Normandie | 756 | 4.7% | 22.6 |
| Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | 662 | 4.1% | 23.6 |
| Centre-Val de Loire | 563 | 3.5% | 21.8 |
| La Réunion | 162 | 1.0% | 18.2 |
| Guadeloupe | 101 | 0.6% | 26.3 |
| Corse | 78 | 0.5% | 21.9 |
| Martinique | 76 | 0.5% | 21.1 |
| Guyane | 29 | 0.2% | 9.9 |
| Mayotte | 8 | 0.0% | not calculated |
| Unknown region | 13 | 0.1% | not calculated |
| **Locations with a registered optician** | **16,257** | **100%** | 23.9 |
| Stores with no optician registered under their ID | 787 |  |  |
| **Estimated optical stores** | **17,044** |  |  |

Caption: Paris has twice the average of 23.9 optical locations per 100,000 residents; Guyane has less than half. Health professional registry, November 8, 2026. Scalon Observatory, November 2026.

The differences between départements (French administrative areas) are clear. Paris has 48.4 locations per 100,000 residents (1,019 locations), twice the average. Next come Drôme (29.0), Landes (28.6), and Bouches-du-Rhône (27.8). The fewest are in Guyane (9.9), followed by Seine-Saint-Denis (15.5) and Essonne (17.1).

In practice, a supplier prospecting in Paris can visit more stores on each sales route; Seine-Saint-Denis and Essonne have the fewest optical locations relative to population in mainland France.

Optical locations by department, November 8, 2026 registry

| Department | Locations | Per 100,000 residents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Paris | 1,019 | 48.4 |
| Drôme | 152 | 29.0 |
| Landes | 124 | 28.6 |
| Bouches-du-Rhône | 581 | 27.8 |
| Lot | 49 | 27.8 |
| Cantal | 40 | 27.7 |
| Vosges | 99 | 27.7 |
| Ardèche | 92 | 27.5 |
| Vaucluse | 157 | 27.4 |
| Haute-Marne | 46 | 27.3 |
| Saône-et-Loire | 148 | 26.9 |
| Jura | 69 | 26.7 |
| Gironde | 452 | 26.7 |
| Morbihan | 208 | 26.6 |
| Lot-et-Garonne | 88 | 26.4 |
| Guadeloupe | 101 | 26.3 |
| Haute-Loire | 60 | 26.2 |
| Pyrénées-Orientales | 130 | 26.2 |
| Haute-Garonne | 384 | 26.1 |
| Loire | 201 | 26.0 |
| Vendée | 185 | 25.9 |
| Bas-Rhin | 302 | 25.9 |
| Savoie | 116 | 25.9 |
| Hautes-Alpes | 37 | 25.8 |
| Manche | 127 | 25.5 |
| Charente-Maritime | 171 | 25.4 |
| Ille-et-Vilaine | 284 | 25.3 |
| Var | 282 | 25.2 |
| Alpes-Maritimes | 282 | 25.0 |
| Rhône | 478 | 25.0 |
| Mayenne | 76 | 24.9 |
| Gers | 48 | 24.9 |
| Sarthe | 141 | 24.9 |
| Tarn | 99 | 24.9 |
| Ardennes | 66 | 24.8 |
| Calvados | 176 | 24.8 |
| Loir-et-Cher | 81 | 24.7 |
| Finistère | 230 | 24.6 |
| Haut-Rhin | 189 | 24.5 |
| Tarn-et-Garonne | 65 | 24.5 |
| Somme | 138 | 24.4 |
| Hérault | 300 | 24.4 |
| Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 172 | 24.3 |
| Nièvre | 49 | 24.3 |
| Allier | 81 | 24.3 |
| Hautes-Pyrénées | 56 | 24.2 |
| Gard | 185 | 24.0 |
| Isère | 310 | 23.9 |
| Aude | 90 | 23.7 |
| Corrèze | 57 | 23.7 |
| Meurthe-et-Moselle | 173 | 23.6 |
| Moselle | 247 | 23.5 |
| Territoire de Belfort | 33 | 23.5 |
| Indre-et-Loire | 145 | 23.4 |
| Haute-Savoie | 199 | 23.1 |
| Pas-de-Calais | 336 | 23.0 |
| Orne | 63 | 22.9 |
| Maine-et-Loire | 190 | 22.8 |
| Loire-Atlantique | 339 | 22.8 |
| Côte-d'Or | 123 | 22.8 |
| Corse-du-Sud | 38 | 22.6 |
| Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 38 | 22.6 |
| Marne | 126 | 22.4 |
| Doubs | 122 | 22.3 |
| Côtes-d'Armor | 136 | 22.2 |
| Ain | 149 | 21.9 |
| Oise | 181 | 21.8 |
| Yonne | 72 | 21.7 |
| Nord | 566 | 21.6 |
| Haute-Corse | 40 | 21.4 |
| Charente | 75 | 21.3 |
| Martinique | 76 | 21.1 |
| Seine-Maritime | 266 | 21.1 |
| Eure-et-Loir | 91 | 21.0 |
| Haute-Vienne | 78 | 20.9 |
| Vienne | 91 | 20.7 |
| Dordogne | 86 | 20.6 |
| Eure | 124 | 20.6 |
| Aube | 64 | 20.6 |
| Yvelines | 304 | 20.5 |
| Puy-de-Dôme | 136 | 20.5 |
| Loiret | 142 | 20.5 |
| Deux-Sèvres | 77 | 20.5 |
| Aisne | 107 | 20.4 |
| Indre | 44 | 20.4 |
| Hauts-de-Seine | 338 | 20.4 |
| Aveyron | 57 | 20.4 |
| Cher | 60 | 20.1 |
| Creuse | 23 | 19.9 |
| Seine-et-Marne | 291 | 19.8 |
| Haute-Saône | 46 | 19.7 |
| Meuse | 35 | 19.4 |
| Ariège | 30 | 19.3 |
| Val-de-Marne | 273 | 19.1 |
| Lozère | 14 | 18.3 |
| Val-d'Oise | 235 | 18.3 |
| La Réunion | 162 | 18.2 |
| Essonne | 229 | 17.1 |
| Seine-Saint-Denis | 264 | 15.5 |
| Guyane | 29 | 9.9 |

## Counting stores today: a Sirene extract, a NAF code, and a date

An up-to-date store count comes from querying the Sirene directory (the registry of companies and their locations, maintained by Insee). You filter by a NAF code on a specific date. The result depends on both.

First, the code. An optical store generally reports code 47.78A. But a location may sell glasses under another code, and a code may remain attached to an activity that has ended.

A count by code measures registrations, not storefronts.

Then, the date. Locations open and close every month. A figure with no extraction date cannot be verified.

A rigorous count therefore lists three things alongside its figure: the directory queried, the code used, and the extract date. [The Scalon Observatory](/en/observatory) follows this format to count local businesses, sector by sector.

We did this for opticians: 19,444 active locations under code 47.78A in the September 24, 2026 registry, cross-referenced with the November 8, 2026 health professional registry; after review, about 17,000 active optical stores (method at the end of the article). Details are in levels 1 and 2.

## Optical submarkets

Depending on what you sell, your relevant market may be one of these submarkets rather than all 17,044 stores:

| Submarket | Count | What to know |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Optical and hearing care | 1,475 locations | A hearing aid specialist registered on site |
| Mutual insurer stores | about 690 stores | Run by mutual insurers |
| Cooperatives | about 3,400 stores | Joint purchasing through the network's own purchasing office (not an independents' buying group) |
| Franchised or company-owned | 2,727 stores | Network headquarters approves suppliers |
| Mass retailer departments | 83 stores | At least: Leclerc reports more than 85 optical departments |
| Sunglasses | about 120 locations | Sunglass Hut only |

## How do you use these figures for market research?

Optical market research involves four steps.

1. **The addressable market.** Start with 17,000 stores and €8.3B in spending, rather than the 19,444 locations under the code. Remove what your offering does not cover.
2. **Segmentation.** Level 5 explains who makes purchasing decisions in each type of network: sell equipment to stores with no chain name, and seek supplier approval at network headquarters.
3. **Territory.** Compare optical locations with population: 23.9 per 100,000 on average (25.0 when counting all stores), 48.4 in Paris, 15.5 in Seine-Saint-Denis.
4. **Market activity.** More than 1,000 locations register under the optical retail code each year: the list ages quickly (see "Is the market still changing today?").

Need the list of optical stores in France? We send it with the contact details available, for the scope you choose.

## How do you build a prospect list of optical stores?

Start with the publicly accessible health professional registry, which provides each location's SIRET number (the French ID of a business location) and a reported phone number. Link it to the Sirene registry, then add public business listings, which provide websites and contact details. For the general approach, see how to [build a B2B prospect list](/en/blog/b2b-prospect-list).

Of 1,000 randomly sampled locations, 73.8% have a public phone number, 36.8% a website, and 11.4% an email address. Phone remains the most reliable channel.

The decision maker is the self-employed owner (9,650 opticians registered as self-employed) or, within a network, its headquarters. For a company with just one store, the decision maker is the person running the company.

What to check in an optical store list

**1.** **Do not rely on code 47.78A alone.** 4,436 locations under the code have no registered optician.

**2.** **Remove duplicates.** A parent company may duplicate a store already counted.

**3.** **Date your list.** More than 1,000 locations register under the optical retail code each year and more than 800 leave it each year.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the current number of opticians in France?

The registry lists 55,386 registered opticians as of November 8, 2026, including 39,944 with a reported practice location. DREES counts 44,238 active opticians under age 62 as of January 1, 2024.

### How many optical stores are there in France?

About 17,000: 17,044 by our November 2026 count, including overseas territories. Market studies report 13,300 (2025); Insee counted 12,700 in 2013.

### How many optical stores are independent?

About one in two: at most 8,885 stores (52%, between 45 and 56%) display no chain name, network, or buying group; 403 others display their buying group. With no chain name overall: 9,288 (54%). Visionère reports 47%, Luz 51%. Cooperatives account for 1 store in 5.

### Which is the largest optical network?

Krys Group reports 1,675 stores at the end of 2025, Optic 2000 1,223 in April 2026. Our estimate is 1,492 for Groupement Optic 2000 and 1,447 for Krys Group.

### How much revenue does an optical store generate?

Half of the 847 companies with one store each that publish their accounts exceed €528,000. A quarter are below €243,000 and a quarter exceed €946,000.

### How many optical locations open and close each year?

In 2025, 1,303 locations registered under code 47.78A and 944 left it, a net change of +359. In 2024, there were 1,525 openings and 1,097 closures.

### Why do the figures vary from source to source?

Because they count different things: people (44,238, 55,386) or stores (13,300, 17,044), on different dates. Each figure correctly answers a different question.

## Method

The store count comes from cross-referencing the November 8, 2026 health professional registry (RPPS) with the September 24, 2026 Sirene registry. The network breakdown is based on a sample of 1,000 locations reviewed on November 9, 2026. Company accounts were reviewed on November 9, 2026.

Method details and limitations

**Counting unit.** An optical store is a location that sells prescription glasses and contact lenses to the public on its premises; we also count about 117 sunglasses stores belonging to an optical chain. The registry does not specify this: we start with locations where a registered optician practices (16,257) or that are registered under the optical retail code (19,444), a total of 20,693 locations.

**Full pool.** The November 8, 2026 RPPS lists 55,386 registered opticians. The September 24, 2026 Sirene registry lists 19,444 active locations under code 47.78A.

**Review.** 200 locations were randomly sampled (80, 80, and 40 by group), then reviewed twice, independently, by Scalon, which resolved disagreements. The two reviews agreed on 156 locations (78%). Locations with no listing in the "no registered optician" group are counted at the rate of actual stores with no listing observed in the confirmed group: 16 locations out of 80. Those 16 locations in the confirmed group were themselves judged to be stores on the strength of both registries (a registered optician and the optical retail code); 5 of them, looked up online, are open stores. If all of them were treated as uncertain, the total would fall to 13,682, because the adjustment for the "no registered optician" group would also decrease: this is the method's most sensitive assumption.

**Uncertainty.** The sample leaves a margin of ±721 stores (4%). Alternative scenarios: 16,574 if none of the uncertain cases are stores (3% fewer), 18,070 if half are (6% more), 19,565 if all are.

**Networks.** The sample of 1,000 locations (979 linked) classifies each store by chain name, manually confirmed using public evidence. During the review, 13 of the 78 stores classified as having no chain name displayed a network name; 5 were actual network affiliations, and those classifications were corrected. The share with no chain name is 54.5%, between 50.0% (lower bound from the review: 5 networks missed out of 78, up to 14.1% in the worst case) and 55.3% (figures published by the networks, cross-check in level 5). The margin of the 1,000-location sample, ±3.1 points, adds to this: combining the two, the share lies between 47 and 58%. Buying group members form a separate line: only those that display it (a Centrale des Opticiens email address, about 403 after review) are identified, so independents number at most 8,885 (52.1%, between 45 and 56%). Regional breakdown: 731 sampled stores have a registered optician; only regions with at least 30 stores are shown.

**Registry reference.** Locations where at least one registered optician practices, by registry code (16,257 locations): 15,008 under the optical retail code (47.78A), 184 (70.10Z), 178 (32.50B), 123 (47.73Z), 95 (47.11F), 91 (47.74Z), 80 (86.22C), 54 (65.12Z), and the rest under codes with fewer than 36 locations each. These are registry declarations, not store definitions.

**Revenue.** Counted once per company, using nonzero figures from fiscal year 2024 or later: 14,483 companies checked, 1,091 with published revenue, including 847 with just one store.

**Limitations.** Parent companies may duplicate a store. The registry takes time to reflect changes. A sample of 1,000 locations does not produce reliable estimates for small networks. Buying group membership appears only when stores display it (403 stores identified).

## Key takeaways

- France has about 17,000 optical stores in November 2026 (17,044) and 55,386 registered opticians.
- About one store in two (52%, at most 8,885) is independent, with no chain name and no displayed buying group; cooperatives account for 1 in 5.
- Among companies with one store each, half exceed €528,000 in revenue.
- Paris has 48 locations per 100,000 residents, compared with an average of 24.
- A list built using code 47.78A still needs to be cross-checked against the health professional registry.

The full study · PDF

## The study runs to 41 pages, we will send it

Everything is on this page, and you can cite it without asking. The PDF holds the whole study, tables, figures, method and sources, in one document to keep, print or pass on. It goes out by email, right away.

1. 01Number of opticians: the answer depends on your question
2. 02How many opticians are there in France?
3. 03Opticians or stores: what each figure counts
4. 04Has the store count grown since 2003?
5. 05How much is the optical market worth in euros?
6. 06Which NAF code applies to an optician?
7. 07Market terminology
8. 08Level 1. The full pool: 20,693 locations in the registries
9. 09Level 2. The 17,000 active optical stores
10. 10Level 3. Who practices: 55,386 registered opticians
11. 11Level 4. Channels: stores, mass retailers, mutual insurers, pharmacies
12. 12Level 5. Independents, cooperatives, franchises: who runs the stores?
13. 13Level 6. Where are the optical stores?
14. 14Counting stores today: a Sirene extract, a NAF code, and a date
15. 15Optical submarkets
16. 16How do you use these figures for market research?
17. 17How do you build a prospect list of optical stores?
18. 18Frequently asked questions
19. 19Method
20. 20Key takeaways

Free, no conditions. To cite a figure, use the reference given under “Cite this study”, with Scalon and the date of the edition.

## Cite this study

The full citation, including counts

> Scalon Observatory, "Number of opticians in France: 17,000 stores in 2026," November 9, 2026: 17,044 active optical stores, including overseas territories; 55,386 opticians registered in the health professional registry (November 8, 2026); 52% of stores independent at most (8,885), with no chain name and no displayed buying group; €528,000 in revenue for half of the 847 companies with one store each that publish their accounts. [https://scalon.fr/en/observatory/number-of-opticians-in-france](/en/observatory/number-of-opticians-in-france)

## Sources

- [Agat, « Les Opticiens Conseils : SEO local d'un réseau optique » (30+ points de vente)](https://agat.fr/clients/les-opticiens-conseils) ; [FréquenceOptic, « Les Opticiens Conseils entrent au Synope », February 1, 2013](https://www.frequenceoptic.fr/actualites/les-opticiens-conseils-entrent-au-synope.html)
- [Annuaire de la Fédération française de la franchise : Générale d'Optique](https://annuaire.franchise-fff.com/adherents/generale-doptique)
- [Annuaire de la Fédération française de la franchise : GrandOptical](https://annuaire.franchise-fff.com/adherents/grandoptical)
- Écouter Voir: 700 optical stores, MFTGS, May 27, 2026
- Jimmy Fairly: 116 stores in France, Les Echos, February 27, 2026
- Optique Lafayette: 57 stores, Laf Santé, April 1, 2025
- Optique E.Leclerc: 82 stores, Michel-Édouard Leclerc, October 14, 2025

- L'Express Franchise, December 26, 2025, citing Xerfi's September 2025 study (seven groups operating under chain names, 70% of revenue)

- [La démographie des professionnels de santé depuis 2012, DREES](https://data.drees.solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/explore/dataset/la-demographie-des-professionnels-de-sante-depuis-2012)
- [Les dépenses de santé en 2025, DREES, September 2026](https://drees.solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2026-09/Les%20d%C3%A9penses%20de%20sant%C3%A9%20en%202025_0.pdf)
- [Tableau des populations du RPPS, September 25, 2025 version, Agence du numérique en santé](https://esante.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/media_entity/documents/ans_tableau-des-populations-rpps_0.pdf)
- [Le commerce de détail d'optique depuis 2003, Insee Première n° 1576, November 17, 2015](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1560279)
- [Question écrite n° 1350, Sénat, response dated January 12, 2023](https://www.senat.fr/questions/base/2022/qSEQ220701350.html)
- [Enjeux n° 206, CCI Paris Île-de-France, October 2018](https://www.cci-paris-idf.fr/sites/default/files/2020-12/enjeux-206.pdf)
- [Les chiffres de l'optique, avril 2025, Octika (Visionère)](https://www.octika.com/blog/les-chiffres-de-l-optique-avril-2025-n201)
- [Le marché de l'optique, Xerfi, September 2025](https://www.xerfi.com/presentationetude/le-marche-de-l-optique_dis71)
- [Chiffres clés de l'optique en France, Extencia, October 2026](https://www.extencia.fr/chiffres-cles-optique-france)
- [Luz continue sa croissance en 2025, Acuité, June 2026](https://www.acuite.fr/actualites/profession/luz-continue-sa-croissance-en-2025-et-mise-sur-a329823)
- [Résultats 2025, Krys Group, press release](https://www.krys-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/CP-KRYS-GROUP-Resultats-2025.pdf)
- [Rapport Krys Group 2026](https://www.krys-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Rapport-KrysGroup_2026.pdf)
- [Optic 2000, Groupement Optic 2000](https://www.groupement-optic2000.fr/le-groupement/optic-2000)
- [Le groupement, Groupement Optic 2000](https://www.groupement-optic2000.fr/le-groupement)
- [Qui sommes-nous, Alain Afflelou](https://www.afflelou.com/entreprise/qui-sommes-nous)
- [Atol se fixe un plan stratégique pour 2030, LSA, March 2026](https://www.lsa-conso.fr/1000-magasins-600-m-de-chiffre-d-affaires-atol-se-fixe-un-plan-strategique-ambitieux-pour-2030,465075)
- [Optical Center, le pari de la liberté, Europe 1, April 2026](https://www.europe1.fr/economie/optical-center-le-pari-de-la-liberte-sans-actionnaires-925105)
- [GrandOptical, enseigne de GrandVision France](https://www.grandoptical.com/services/enseigne-grand-optical)
- [Bilan 2024 d'Écouter Voir, Acuité](https://www.acuite.fr/actualites/profession/bilan-2024-decouter-voir-lenseigne-mutualiste-306132)
- [Optique E.Leclerc](https://www.e.leclerc/e/optique-e-leclerc)
- [Luz, centrale d'indépendants](https://www.luz.fr/)
- [Visual, réseau](https://www.visual.fr/reseau-visual/)
- [Lunettes et lentilles correctrices : quelle réglementation ?, DGCCRF, March 2026](https://www.economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf/les-fiches-pratiques/lunettes-et-lentilles-correctrices-quelle-est-la-reglementation-applicable)
- [Chapitre II, Opticien-lunetier, Code de la santé publique, Légifrance](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/id/LEGISCTA000006171330)

## Do you sell to opticians?

Lens and frame manufacturers, software vendors, banks, insurers: Scalon links each optical store to its company, the person running that company, its displayed network affiliation, and its public contact information.

[For businesses: get 100 optical stores in my area](/en#call)

More on this topic

- [Number of doctors in France: 250,200 doctors in 2026](/en/observatory/number-of-doctors-in-france) : General practitioners and specialists in practice, from more than one source.
- [Number of Dentists in France: 50,500 Dentists in 2026](/en/observatory/number-of-dentists-in-france) : Dental surgeons counted from more than one source.
- [Number of Hospitals in France: 3,000, Clinics Included](/en/observatory/number-of-hospitals-in-france) : Public and private hospitals mapped, for anyone selling to or studying this sector.

[All studies →](/en/observatory)