Specsavers
Encyclopedia
Specsavers Optical Group Ltd is the biggest optical retailer in the UK and Ireland. It is also the biggest of the four major opticians
that control 70% of the British market for spectacles and contact lenses, with Specsavers having a 39% share of the market. The company has over 1,390 stores in the United Kingdom
, Guernsey
, Spain
, Ireland
, Norway
, Sweden
, Finland
, Denmark
, the Netherlands
, Australia
, and New Zealand
.
opticians, selling spectacles, contact lenses and hearing aids. The group was launched in 1984 by husband and wife team Doug Perkins and Mary Perkins
and at the end of 2007 the group had over 1,390 stores with 26,000 employees. As well as stores in the UK, they are present in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain and most recently Australia and New Zealand. The company has ventured into hearing services in 2002. Their Hearing Centres division provides hearing tests and hearing aid
s within the Specsavers optical stores and has grown to become the UK's leading provider of digital hearing aids providing services from more than 400 locations.
Specsavers also sell designer optical collections by Jasper Conran
, French Connection and Red or Dead
.
Specsavers has a market share of over 39% of all transactions within the opticians' market in the UK and Republic of Ireland, larger than any of its competitors. Its main competitors in the UK are Dollond & Aitchison
(D&A), Boots Opticians and Vision Express
; see UK Opticians (retailers)
.
The co-founder of Specsavers, Mary Perkins, was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2007 in recognition of her services to business and the community in Guernsey.
In 2004, Specsavers acquired Swedish Blic Optik franchise from its owner Optimum Optik AB, taking a position in the Nordic market.
In 2007 Finance Director John Perkins became Joint Managing Director with his father Doug Perkins.
In 2005 Specsavers won the Retail Week 2005 award for Marketing Campaign of the Year.
In 2006 Specsavers was ranked 46 of the UK's 100 heaviest spenders on TV advertising, spending £27 million. Readers Digest magazine voted Specsavers the most trusted brand of opticians for the 5th year running. The magazine surveyed people in 40 European countries.
In 2009, the retailer was voted most trusted optician for the 8th year running by Reader's Digest.
Specsavers long-running and successful advertising campaign is famously based on the strapline "Should've gone to Specsavers" which appears on the company's TV advertising, usually after showing an accident in which someone failed to notice something. Conceived by Specsavers Creative Director Graham Daldry, the line has become part of popular culture and is frequently quoted.
Specsavers' use of Édith Piaf
in advertisements has caused some adverse comment in the press in spite of the fact that full permission had been granted by the estate of the performer. A Facebook group has been set up to oppose this supposed abuse of the famous French singer. The song ended with the subtitles saying "Yes, I Should've gone to Specsavers" followed by the logo showing in Black & White Television.
Specsavers had advertised a couple having their lunch on a rollercoaster in Blackpool
opening their lunchboxes. When they started eating their sandwiches the rollercoaster started and the ride got too fast before "Should've gone to Specsavers" appeared.
Specsavers used the Thunderbirds
character Virgil Tracy
, his craft Thunderbird 2, and the villain known as The Hood
made to set in a 1966 episode. Virgil is chased by The Hood in a tunnel after Thunderbird 2 landed, and as they emerge from the tunnel
into the sunlight
Virgil's glasses magically darken and steers round a mountain
and when The Hood emerges into the sunlight he gets blinded and dazzled by the sunlight and crashes into the mountain. The ad closes with Jeff Tracy saying to Virgil via radio "He Should've gone to Specsavers, Virgil", with Virgil replying "F.A.B."
Specsavers have recently used the Postman Pat
1984 episode. In that advert, Pat accidentally breaks his glasses and has not got a spare pair. Deciding to get on with his job anyway, he accidentally causes trouble through Greendale and takes some sacks of vegetables rather than the mail, posts them through the Reverend's door and drives into a sign. It finishes with PC Selby taking note of the damage and declaring "Should've gone to Specsavers, Pat."
Specsavers used a Mr. Men
episode from 1973 with Mr. Happy losing his smile because he missed their offer. He falls out with Mr. Greedy, Mr. Messy, Mr. Tickle and Mr. Bump before the Narrator says "Oh Dear, Looks like Someone Should've gone to Specsavers." This was followed by an advertisement where an elderly couple drive aboard an aircraft carrier (HTMS Chakri Naruebet) instead of the intended cross-channel ferry.
In 2006 James Murray Wells
the Managing Director of Glasses Direct made claims that four major high street retailers including Specsavers were "leading a campaign to stop prescription glasses being sold over the internet".
Also in 2006 Wells sought election to the General Optical Council
, arguing that internet retailers and their customers needed representation. In response the Managing Director of Specsavers, Doug Perkins, wrote to Specsavers branches asking the company's opticians to rally round one of their own candidates "..candidates with the interests of hands-on, professional practitioners at heart". The General Optical Council had previously stated that it believed internet sales of glasses could pose a risk to "public safety" and its priority was maintaining high standards of eye care for the public, and not members' commercial interests. Murray Wells withdrew from the election after it became clear he would not win a ballot.
International charities supported include Fight for Sight and Vision Aid Overseas, with whom Specsavers is looking to fund an eyecare clinic and teaching facility in Zambia. Specsavers stores across Britain raised more than £300,000 in 2009 to support the project and an additional £300,000 is planned.
agreement between Specsavers and the franchisee; however, unlike many franchises, Specsavers stores work under the policy that 'any Specsavers customer is our customer', thereby meaning that a customer from one branch of Specsavers can expect to get equal service from another branch elsewhere. It also differs in that Specsavers own shares in the franchisee business rather than just providing goods and services under a franchise agreement. In newer territories such as Sweden, Norway and Spain, they operate a normal franchise agreement.
Specsavers is the largest private employer in Guernsey
, providing 500 jobs. Guernsey is a Crown Dependency
and has substantially different company reporting standards to the UK, greatly reducing information available on Specsavers operations and profitability.
Margaret Thatcher
in the 1980s, allowing opticians to use previously forbidden advertising and marketing techniques to rapidly take over a market that had belonged to independent local opticians. The Perkins have stated regarding the remaining local opticians that "their days are numbered", and in fact their major competition now comes from large chains such as Boots The Chemist and Vision Express
.
's song Rescue Me includes the line: "All I want is a kiss and a hug, but somebody told Specsavers I still can't see no love..."
UK Opticians (retailers)
In the United Kingdom, businesses that sell prescription spectacles and contact lenses are referred to as 'opticians', after the profession of that name...
that control 70% of the British market for spectacles and contact lenses, with Specsavers having a 39% share of the market. The company has over 1,390 stores in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
History and market position
Specsavers are a high streetHigh Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
opticians, selling spectacles, contact lenses and hearing aids. The group was launched in 1984 by husband and wife team Doug Perkins and Mary Perkins
Mary Perkins
Dame Mary Lesley Perkins, DBE is co-founder and a senior executive of Specsavers, a leading bricks and mortar United Kingdom eyeglass company....
and at the end of 2007 the group had over 1,390 stores with 26,000 employees. As well as stores in the UK, they are present in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain and most recently Australia and New Zealand. The company has ventured into hearing services in 2002. Their Hearing Centres division provides hearing tests and hearing aid
Hearing aid
A hearing aid is an electroacoustic device which typically fits in or behind the wearer's ear, and is designed to amplify and modulate sound for the wearer. Earlier devices, known as "ear trumpets" or "ear horns", were passive funnel-like amplification cones designed to gather sound energy and...
s within the Specsavers optical stores and has grown to become the UK's leading provider of digital hearing aids providing services from more than 400 locations.
Specsavers also sell designer optical collections by Jasper Conran
Jasper Conran
Jasper Alexander Thirlby Conran OBE is an English fashion designer. He is the son of the designer Sir Terence Conran and the author Shirley Conran.-Education:He was educated at Port Regis School and Bryanston School in the 1970s...
, French Connection and Red or Dead
Red or Dead
Red or Dead is a fashion designer and manufacturer, started in London in 1982 by Wayne Hemingway and his wife Geraldine Hemingway. They manufacture products such as shoes, spectacles, bags and watches.- Brand name :...
.
Specsavers has a market share of over 39% of all transactions within the opticians' market in the UK and Republic of Ireland, larger than any of its competitors. Its main competitors in the UK are Dollond & Aitchison
Dollond & Aitchison
Dollond & Aitchison are one of the oldest opticians in the United Kingdom, having been established in 1750.- History :On 21 April, 1750, Peter Dollond opened a small optical business in Vine Street, near Hatton Garden in London. He was joined by his father John Dollond in 1752. The Dollonds became...
(D&A), Boots Opticians and Vision Express
Vision Express
Vision Express is one of the four major opticians that control 70% of the British market for spectacles and contact lenses.The company opened its first store in 1988 at the MetroCentre. After buying out LensCrafters' UK base, they further increased their number of stores. They had over 220 stores...
; see UK Opticians (retailers)
UK Opticians (retailers)
In the United Kingdom, businesses that sell prescription spectacles and contact lenses are referred to as 'opticians', after the profession of that name...
.
The co-founder of Specsavers, Mary Perkins, was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2007 in recognition of her services to business and the community in Guernsey.
In 2004, Specsavers acquired Swedish Blic Optik franchise from its owner Optimum Optik AB, taking a position in the Nordic market.
In 2007 Finance Director John Perkins became Joint Managing Director with his father Doug Perkins.
Advertisements
In 2002 Specsavers spent over £20m on advertising, with television taking 62% of spending. Specsavers supported each of their stores through the use of local media, with local print press taking 16% of spending and local radio 7%.In 2005 Specsavers won the Retail Week 2005 award for Marketing Campaign of the Year.
In 2006 Specsavers was ranked 46 of the UK's 100 heaviest spenders on TV advertising, spending £27 million. Readers Digest magazine voted Specsavers the most trusted brand of opticians for the 5th year running. The magazine surveyed people in 40 European countries.
In 2009, the retailer was voted most trusted optician for the 8th year running by Reader's Digest.
Specsavers long-running and successful advertising campaign is famously based on the strapline "Should've gone to Specsavers" which appears on the company's TV advertising, usually after showing an accident in which someone failed to notice something. Conceived by Specsavers Creative Director Graham Daldry, the line has become part of popular culture and is frequently quoted.
Specsavers' use of Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
in advertisements has caused some adverse comment in the press in spite of the fact that full permission had been granted by the estate of the performer. A Facebook group has been set up to oppose this supposed abuse of the famous French singer. The song ended with the subtitles saying "Yes, I Should've gone to Specsavers" followed by the logo showing in Black & White Television.
Specsavers had advertised a couple having their lunch on a rollercoaster in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
opening their lunchboxes. When they started eating their sandwiches the rollercoaster started and the ride got too fast before "Should've gone to Specsavers" appeared.
Specsavers used the Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds (TV series)
Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s science fiction television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation"...
character Virgil Tracy
Virgil Tracy
Virgil Tracy is a fictional character from Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation television show Thunderbirds and the subsequent films Thunderbirds Are GO and Thunderbird 6. The character also appeared in the live action movie Thunderbirds....
, his craft Thunderbird 2, and the villain known as The Hood
The Hood (Thunderbirds)
The Hood is the main villain and adversary of International Rescue in the Thunderbirds TV series.-TV series:The Hood's precise origins are unknown but it is thought to have been based loosely on Wayne Pembridge...
made to set in a 1966 episode. Virgil is chased by The Hood in a tunnel after Thunderbird 2 landed, and as they emerge from the tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
into the sunlight
Sunlight
Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total frequency spectrum of electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, and solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon.When the direct solar radiation is not blocked...
Virgil's glasses magically darken and steers round a mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
and when The Hood emerges into the sunlight he gets blinded and dazzled by the sunlight and crashes into the mountain. The ad closes with Jeff Tracy saying to Virgil via radio "He Should've gone to Specsavers, Virgil", with Virgil replying "F.A.B."
Specsavers have recently used the Postman Pat
Postman Pat
Postman Pat is a British stop-motion animated children's television series first produced by Woodland Animations. It is aimed at pre-school children, and concerns the adventures of Pat Clifton, a postman in the fictional village of Greendale .Postman Pat's first 13-episode season was screened on...
1984 episode. In that advert, Pat accidentally breaks his glasses and has not got a spare pair. Deciding to get on with his job anyway, he accidentally causes trouble through Greendale and takes some sacks of vegetables rather than the mail, posts them through the Reverend's door and drives into a sign. It finishes with PC Selby taking note of the damage and declaring "Should've gone to Specsavers, Pat."
Specsavers used a Mr. Men
Mr. Men
Mr. Men is a series of 49 children's books by Roger Hargreaves commencing in 1971. Two of these books were not published in English. The series features characters with names such as Mr. Tickle and Mr. Happy who have personalities based on their names...
episode from 1973 with Mr. Happy losing his smile because he missed their offer. He falls out with Mr. Greedy, Mr. Messy, Mr. Tickle and Mr. Bump before the Narrator says "Oh Dear, Looks like Someone Should've gone to Specsavers." This was followed by an advertisement where an elderly couple drive aboard an aircraft carrier (HTMS Chakri Naruebet) instead of the intended cross-channel ferry.
Controversy
Specsavers attracted some controversy after condemning Glasses Direct, a UK Internet retailer claiming that an internet service "did not meet required standards" and "could not offer advice from dispensing opticians".In 2006 James Murray Wells
James Murray Wells
James Murray Wells is an English entrepreneur and founder, owner and executive chairman of Prescription Eyewear Limited , London, which he started whilst at university.-Early life:...
the Managing Director of Glasses Direct made claims that four major high street retailers including Specsavers were "leading a campaign to stop prescription glasses being sold over the internet".
Also in 2006 Wells sought election to the General Optical Council
General Optical Council
The General Optical Council is an organisation in the United Kingdom which was set up by the Opticians Act 1958 to maintain a register of opticians and to uphold the Act. Its purpose is to regulate the services provided by opticians and optometrists...
, arguing that internet retailers and their customers needed representation. In response the Managing Director of Specsavers, Doug Perkins, wrote to Specsavers branches asking the company's opticians to rally round one of their own candidates "..candidates with the interests of hands-on, professional practitioners at heart". The General Optical Council had previously stated that it believed internet sales of glasses could pose a risk to "public safety" and its priority was maintaining high standards of eye care for the public, and not members' commercial interests. Murray Wells withdrew from the election after it became clear he would not win a ballot.
Charity work
Specsavers supports numerous optical and hearing charities, including Guide Dogs and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. During their three year support for Diabetes UK they raised more than £250,000 to fund research into diabetic retinopathy.International charities supported include Fight for Sight and Vision Aid Overseas, with whom Specsavers is looking to fund an eyecare clinic and teaching facility in Zambia. Specsavers stores across Britain raised more than £300,000 in 2009 to support the project and an additional £300,000 is planned.
Structure
Specsavers operates most of their stores under a system which is called the 'Joint or Shared Venture Partnership'. This is similar to a franchiseChain store
Chain stores are retail outlets that share a brand and central management, and usually have standardized business methods and practices. These characteristics also apply to chain restaurants and some service-oriented chain businesses. In retail, dining and many service categories, chain businesses...
agreement between Specsavers and the franchisee; however, unlike many franchises, Specsavers stores work under the policy that 'any Specsavers customer is our customer', thereby meaning that a customer from one branch of Specsavers can expect to get equal service from another branch elsewhere. It also differs in that Specsavers own shares in the franchisee business rather than just providing goods and services under a franchise agreement. In newer territories such as Sweden, Norway and Spain, they operate a normal franchise agreement.
Relationship with Guernsey
The headquarters are based in Guernsey where the founding partners were resident when the company was formed.Specsavers is the largest private employer in Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
, providing 500 jobs. Guernsey is a Crown Dependency
Crown dependency
The Crown Dependencies are British possessions of the Crown, as opposed to overseas territories of the United Kingdom. They comprise the Channel Island Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea....
and has substantially different company reporting standards to the UK, greatly reducing information available on Specsavers operations and profitability.
Business strategy and future
The Perkins have stated that they intend to maintain family control of the firm, which currently employs all three of their children in senior roles. Continued expansion into Europe is planned with the immediate aim of being the market dominating opticians in the Netherlands and Scandinavia. It is also intended that the company will become a leading supplier of hearing aids. The Perkins attribute their success to their franchise model (see "Structure" in this article) and the opportunities created by de-regulation of the UK Opticians market by the Conservative Prime MinisterPrime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
in the 1980s, allowing opticians to use previously forbidden advertising and marketing techniques to rapidly take over a market that had belonged to independent local opticians. The Perkins have stated regarding the remaining local opticians that "their days are numbered", and in fact their major competition now comes from large chains such as Boots The Chemist and Vision Express
Vision Express
Vision Express is one of the four major opticians that control 70% of the British market for spectacles and contact lenses.The company opened its first store in 1988 at the MetroCentre. After buying out LensCrafters' UK base, they further increased their number of stores. They had over 220 stores...
.
In popular culture
The lyrics of SkeptaSkepta
Joseph Junior Adenuga , better known as Skepta, is an English rapper from London. Originally from and born to Nigerian parents he moved to London aged three....
's song Rescue Me includes the line: "All I want is a kiss and a hug, but somebody told Specsavers I still can't see no love..."