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Marks & Spencer to roll out optician services

By Rosalie Wessel

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Business

Image: Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencer has announced that it will roll out optician services to 55 stores within the next eighteen months.

The service was highly popular during its trial period, with a customer satisfaction and recommendation rate of 96 percent.

The service has already been made available in Birmingham, Gateshead, Southampton, Dartford and Cardiff. The branches will be led jointly by opticians and hearing care provider Owl Optical.

“Working in partnership with Marks & Spencer, we aim to offer a market leading optical and hearing care service across the whole of the UK - spanning Marks & Spencer glasses, designer brands, sunglasses, and our comprehensive hearing care customer proposition,” said chairman of Owl Optical, Nicholas Georgevic.

With around 10,000 people in the UK unable to receive essential eye care during the first few months of lockdown in 2020, the service comes at a time when people are beginning to catch up on missed appointments.

64 percent of people surveyed for the Marks & Spencer Family Matters Index said that they would now take their health more seriously than they would have before the pandemic.

“We know our customers trust us to deliver first-rate specialist services- whether it’s a suit-fit for a big occasion or a bar fit appointment with one of our expert colleagues - and Marks & Spencer Opticians is just the latest example of this,” said group property, store development and IT director at Marks & Spencer, Sacha Berendji.

The service has been incorporated into its Sparks loyalty programme, with customers receiving Marks & Spencer Opticians emails, offers and rewards. As a part of the retailer’s onmichannel approach, a variety of online services are available, such as the virtual try on tool which allows customers to place their potential glasses on their faces digitally.

Marks & Spencer claims that its omnichannel approach will allow it to gain a share in the 4 billion pound opticians market.

“We’re really excited to be introducing the service to more stores across the UK and giving customers even more reasons to shop at Marks & Spencer,” said Berendji.

Marks & Spencer