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Optical Express is a retail optical services company in the United Kingdom. Optical Express is part of the Optical Express Group, which operates in the optical, dental and cosmetic industries. It is one of the four largest high street retail opticians in the UK, which, combined, account for 55% of the optical goods market, of which Optical Express has a 6% share. The company provides eye tests, spectacles, contact lenses and laser eye surgery.

Overview and history

Foundations

Optical Express is part of the Optical Express Group, which aside from opticians, also operates in the optical, dental and cosmetic industries under the brand names The Cosmetic Clinic, The Dental Clinic and the Bridgewater Hospital. The group was founded in 1991 with one Optical Express branch based in Leith, Edinburgh. The company grew steadily following its establishment. It acquired Remocker Shapiro in 1995, and took over the latter's 11 stores. In January 1997, the group acquired Specialeyes Plc, including a UK-wide chain of 65 optical retail outlets, thus expanding into England for the first time.

In 1998, the Sunday Herald reported that Optical Express had 32 court judgements against it for failure to settle debts owed to a wide number of companies. A senior financial analyst at the time commented that it appeared to be a policy of Optical Express to pay debts late, however "since the company has been trading without interruption, most of these amounts must by now have been paid." An Optical Express spokesperson implied that the company's problems stemmed from the January 1997 takeover of Specialeyes, in which the accountants PriceWaterhouseCoopers were claimed to have underestimated the true level of debt at Specialeyes that Optical Express had adopted. A PriceWaterhouseCoopers spokeperson denied this was the case.

Expansion

Optical Express has been growing its presence on the high street. Its spectacle ranges cover the mid-market. It has also expanded into other healthcare sectors including cosmetic treatments and dentistry. Laser eye surgery in the UK is dominated by three main players—Optical Express, Ultralase and Optimax—which, in total, account for approximately 56% of clinics in the UK

In 2001, Optical Express acquired the Co-op Eyecare chain of 34 shops, followed by the purchase of Specdeals in 2002 with a further 14 Scottish stores.

In 2004 and early 2005, Optical Express acquired the dentistry and laser eye surgery services of Alliance Boots. The dental services business trades under the name The Dental Clinic. As of August 2011, there are 14 locations advertised on the company website.

Optical Express moved into the international market with the acquisition of Free Vision Euro Eyes laser vision correction clinics in Amsterdam and The Hague. The deal marked the first large-scale UK optical chain to extend its laser vision correction business in Holland.

In 2006, 300 patient record cards were found dumped behind the Optical Express store in Brighton in green refuse sacks. The patient records contained confidential medical histories, personal identification information and other information which should have been safeguarded from public view. The Optical Express Brighton store manager claimed that the refuse sacks were used as they had nothing else and that the records were being sent for archiving at head office when a cleaner accidentally placed them outside the rear of the store.

Since 2007

Optical Express experienced a 48% growth in UK retail distribution of optical goods and eyecare in the period 2007 to 2009, the largest increase of all the four large UK opticians.

In 2007, Optical Express formed a partnership with Glasgow-based charity organisation, The Caring City. Donated spectacles are categorised, tested and distributed free of charge via local clinics returning sight to the most at risk communities within Burundi.

Since 2007 Optical Express has been engaged in a dispute with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about VAT. A figure of £10.9 million pounds was quoted as the disputed amount. An appeal to the original case dismissal is scheduled for September 2011.

In 2007, the Optical Express store at Cross Street in Manchester was given the largest ever fine for city centre fly tipping by Manchester City council after a large amount of rubbish was dumped behind the store. The company did not turn up to the court case, and was assessed a £25,000 fine. An Optical Express spokesperson said 'This is a ludicrous case. We were never served a summons so it's hardly surprising we weren't in court. Our lawyers are lodging an immediate appeal.'. A legal appeal overturned the decision and the fine was subsequently dropped.

In 2008, Optical Express announced a €10 million investment to increase its number of Irish operations to six creating up to 60 new jobs.

In August 2009, Optical Express revealed its working practices to its refractive surgery competitors in a supplement published in the July edition of the Journal of Refractive Surgery the first of its kind by a corporate provider.

In 2009, Optical Express, along with fellow laser eye surgery providers Optimax and Ultralase, were criticized by Which?, a consumer organisation, who investigated the consultations customers received prior to potential laser eye surgery. The main focus of concern was that laser councillors consistently downplayed the risks of surgery

In 2010, Optical Express invested US$12 million (£8.1 million) installing iFS Femtosecond laser technology in all its laser clinics.

In October 2010 Optical Express offered shared venture partnerships (SVP) for many of their retail outlets.

In January 2011 Optical Express opened its flagship Sports Vision clinic in Renfield Street, Glasgow City Centre.

In May 2011, the BBC Watchdog programme ran a feature on Optical Express including hidden camera footage of laser eye surgery consultations in ten different Optical Express clinic locations. Although it is standard procedure adopted by laser eye clinics worldwide (including all three main UK providers of laser eye surgery) that the surgeon is seen on day of surgery, the programme was critical of Optical Express and particularly emphasised that in seven out of ten consultations, the prospective patient was not offered the opportunity to see the surgeon before the day of surgery. The expert witness that appeared on Watchdog, as well as being a consultant at the NHS Moorfields Eye Hospital, and the hospital's director of refractive surgery, is also employed by the hospital's private clinic. Optical Express responded to the allegations made in this programme on the programme website.

In 2011 the consumer magazine Which? rated Optical Express as the worst performing optical chain after an undercover investigation into the quality of general high street eye examinations. An Optical Express spokesperson said they were unable to comment on the allegations without more information.

Advertisments

In 2007, the Advertising Standards Authority rejected a complaint that the claim "from only £395 per eye" featured in an Optical Express TV and leaflet campaign was misleading.

In 2011, the Advertising Standards Authority upheld 23 out of 25 complaints made by Ultralase about an Optical Express brochure and television advert featuring Pádraig Harrington. This is the fourth judgement against Optical Express by the ASA since 2007. In response to the ruling, Pádraig Harrington was reported to address the controversy. The ASA dismissed Optical Express' appeal on this adjudication on 17 August 2011. Optical Express created and ran a new advertisement starting on 15 August 2011 to replace the Padraig Harrington advertisement.

References

1. Page 11 MINTEL Market Intelligence, February 2010.
2. Conroy, Harry (17 June 1996). "INSIDE BUSINESS Clear vision from Optical Express - Herald Scotland | Sport | SPL | Aberdeen". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
3. Harry Conroy (27 May 1996). "Angel who put pop group among the stars - Herald Scotland | Sport | SPL | Aberdeen". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
4. "Optical Express (Southern) Ltd v Birmingham City Council, Court of Appeal - Lands Tribunal, April 11, 2005, [2005] EWLands ACQ_109_2002 - ACQ/109/2002 - England and Wales". Case-law.vlex.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
5. "Creditors don't see eye to eye with high-flying Optical Express boss | Sunday Herald, The Newspaper | Find Articles at BNET". Findarticles.com. 25 April 1999. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
6. Page 58 MINTEL Market Intelligence, February 2010.
7. "Eye Health Problems and Eye Health Care Features from Optician Online - Ten years of trends in UK refractive surgery". Optician Online. 26 November 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
8. "Optical Express owner turns Blind Eye to slump in Profits". Lasik-eyes.co.uk. 29 March 2003. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
9. "BUSINESS IN BRIEF - Scotsman.com Business". Business.scotsman.com. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
10. "Find A Dentist". The Dental Clinic. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
11. "Optical Express goes Dutch in bid to conquer Europe | Sunday Herald, The Newspaper | Find Articles at BNET". Findarticles.com. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
12. "Optical Express - Europe Expansion | Laser Vision Correction Clinics". Lasik-eyes.co.uk. 16 August 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
13. "Patients' records found dumped in alley (From The Argus)". theargus.co.uk. 2011 . Retrieved 9 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
14. Page 57 MINTEL Market Intelligence, February 2010.
15. "Gift of sight for world's needy; Specs bring kids a vision of the future. - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
16. "Special Projects - Matthew's Farms". Glasgow The Caring City. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
17. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/vat-appeal-update.pdf
18. http://www.heraldscotland.com/dcm-embroiled-in-pound-10-9m-tax-dispute-1.856119
19. http://business.scotsman.com/retail/Optical-Express-has-sights-set.5127379.jp
20. "Optometry and Eye Health Care News from Optician Online - Magistrates fine multiple £25k". Optician Online. 21 September 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
21. Advertiser.ie (23 October 2008). "Optical Express open eyes with news of three new Irish start-ups". Advertiser.ie. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
22. "Optometry and Eye Health Care News from Optician Online - OE shares clinical data with laser eye sector". Optician Online. 26 August 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
23. http://www.opticalexpress.co.uk/docs/journal_of_refractive_surgery.pdf
24. April 13, 2010 (13 April 2010). "Optical Express Provides Strong Presence at ASCRS Annual Meeting — Health and Fitness Times". Healthandfitnesstimes.com. Retrieved 2 September 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
25. "Microsoft PowerPoint - Laser eye surgery" (PDF). Retrieved 2 September 2011.
26. "Huge sum is invested in Optical Express clinics". Optometry.co.uk. 4 June 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
27. "Optical Express invests $12 million to enhance patient care". ClickPress. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
28. "Next generation laser eye surgery". Glasses display. 5 June 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
29. "UK Technology - Optical Express: Optical Express invests $12 million to enhance..." Mynewsdesk. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
30. "Shared Venture Partnership - Optical Express UK". opticalexpress.co.uk. 2011 . Retrieved 11 September 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
31. "With Optical Express, excellence is everything". optometry.co.uk. 2011 . Retrieved 11 September 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
32. "Optical Express Sports Vision Clinic Opens on the High Street. | Goliath Business News". Goliath.ecnext.com. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
33. ^ Elham Rizi (3 May 2011). "Watchdog: We've been keeping an eye on Optical Express". BBC. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
34. "Moorfields Eye Hospital - David S Gartry". Moorfields-private.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
35. "Optometry and Eye Health Care News from Optician Online - Multiples respond to Which? mystery shop". opticianonline.net. 2011 . Retrieved 13 September 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
36. "ASA Adjudication on The Optical Express Group - Advertising Standards Authority". Asa.org.uk. 19 December 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
37. "ASA Adjudication on Optical Express Ltd - Advertising Standards Authority". Asa.org.uk. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
38. "ASA Adjudication on Optical Express Ltd - Advertising Standards Authority". Asa.org.uk. 17 June 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
39. "ASA Adjudication on The Optical Express Group - Advertising Standards Authority". Asa.org.uk. 19 December 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
40. "Optical Express TV advert "Clarified"". Lasik-eyes.co.uk. 15 May 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
41. Mark Sweney. "Padraig Harrington TV advert banned | Media". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
42. (2011 ). "Optical Express launches new ad campaign - Retail Gazette". retailgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)

External links

• Official website

• Use dmy dates from August 2011
• Optics manufacturing companies
• Companies based in Glasgow
• Companies established in 1991
• Eyewear retailers of the United Kingdom