The British brand has announced the rollout of its popular M&S Opticians service across its UK estate. The service will launch in 55 stores over the next 18 months.
Recent openings at Longbridge (Birmingham), Metro Centre (Gateshead), Hedge End & West Quay (both Southampton), Bluewater (Dartford) and Culverhouse Cross (Cardiff) have already kick started the rollout and increased the M&S Opticians footprint to 12 stores, with a further 43 to follow over the next 18 months.
All 55 branches will be operated by leading opticians and hearing care provider Owl Optical, part of the Scrivens Group of Companies, with an extensive range of M&S branded and third-party branded frames on offer for customers to choose from.
The M&S Opticians strategy is all about diversifying the customer offer by introducing relevant services that give customers even more reasons to shop at M&S. Furthermore, M&S is able to introduce these complementary services within its existing store footprint, utilising the space available across its vast store estate.
The rollout comes at an important time for the opticians industry as more people prioritise their personal health and wellbeing following a year of missed appointments.
Nicholas Georgevic; Chairman of Owl Optical said: “Following a very successful trial, we are extremely excited by the expansion plan for M&S Opticians over the next 18 months. Working in partnership with M&S, we aim to offer a market-leading optical and hearing care service across the whole of the UK – spanning M&S glasses, designer brands, sunglasses, and our comprehensive hearing care customer proposition.
