Specsavers

The group was launched in 1984, by husband and wife team Doug Perkins and Mary Perkins, on the island of Guernsey.

In April 2004, Specsavers acquired the Blic Optik franchise from its Swedish owner Optimum Optik AB. In 2007, finance director John Perkins became joint managing director, with his father Doug Perkins.

The company took advantage of the development of the Any Qualified Provider initiative in the English National Health Service from 2009 onwards to expand into the hearing aid business.

In February 2016, it was announced that Specsavers would be the sponsors of the County Championship cricket competition in England and Wales, for the next four years; a deal which was extended in 2018 to include Test series held in England including the 2019 Ashes series.

In May 2020, Specsavers set up a video consultation service for the first time, to check people's eyes and hearing aids during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In May 2021, it was announced that in March 2021 Specsavers had entered the North American market with its purchase of 18 practices from Canada-based Image Optometry.

In 2024 Specsavers celebrated the 40th anniversary of its founding, and had at the time 2500 stores in 11 countries.

Specsavers withdrew from the Spanish market in 2025.

Market position

As well as stores in the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies, Specsavers are present in Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The company ventured into hearing services in 2002. Their Hearing Centres division provides hearing tests and hearing aids within Specsavers' optical stores, providing services from 650 locations.

As well as their own frame designs, Specsavers sell collections by brands including Jeff Banks, Hackett London and Quiksilver for men, Converse and Tommy Hilfiger for men and women, and Roxy, Karen Millen and Kylie Minogue for women.

Business strategy and future

The Perkins have stated that they intend to maintain family control of the firm, which currently employs two of their three children in senior roles. Continued expansion into Europe is planned. It is also intended that the company will continue to supply hearing aids.

The Perkins attribute their success to their franchise model, and to the deregulation of the UK Opticians market by the Conservative Prime Minister 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.

Criticism of internet retailers

In March 2005, Specsavers publicly criticised Glasses Direct, an 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, the managing director of Glasses Direct, claimed that four major high street retailers including Specsavers were "leading a campaign to stop prescription glasses being sold over the internet".

JobKeeper controversies

On 15 September 2021, it was revealed in a 7.30 exposé that Specsavers had taken advantage of the Australian government's JobKeeper scheme. JobKeeper was designed to subsidise wages for Australian workers during the COVID-19 emergency from April 2020 to March 2021. The intended recipients of JobKeeper were companies struggling financially throughout the pandemic. Specsavers applied for the subsidy, receiving over A$90 million during these six months. Despite having a strong year across the optometry vertical, including reported profits for Specsavers, this subsidy resulted in an increase of revenue by more than 100% year on year.

Outcry resulted from this report due not only to Specsavers not requiring the full subsidy, but also that the profits which were sourced from tax contributions in Australia were immediately directed offshore to Specsavers headquarters in the known tax haven of Guernsey.

Specsavers received additional criticism for repaying only A$4 million in JobKeeper payments, when other companies like Cochlear, CIMIC and Mirvac had already repaid larger amounts.