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Optical Express Group
Company typePrivate
IndustryHealthcare
Founded1991
FounderDavid Moulsdale (CEO)
HeadquartersGlasgow, Scotland
Area served
United Kingdom
Ireland
Germany
Netherlands
France
Croatia
USA
Key people
David Moulsdale (CEO)
ProductsSpectacles, contact lenses, refractive surgery, dentistry, surgical & non-surgical cosmetic treatments, healthcare services
RevenueIncrease £204.67m (2011) [1]
Increase £8.67m (2011) [1]
Increase £3.87m (2011) [1]
OwnerDCM (Optical Holdings) Limited
Number of employees
2,043 [1]
SubsidiariesOptical Express Ltd
Optical Express (Holdings) Ltd
Cruach Capital Ltd
The Frame Zone Ltd
Bridgewater Hospital (Manchester) Ltd
& others [1]
Websitehttp://www.opticalexpress.com

Optical Express is a retail optical services brand in the United Kingdom. Optical Express is a trading name of the Scottish company DCM (Optical Holdings) Limited which operates as the Optical Express Group with a number of subsidiaries in a range of healthcare services including the optical, dental and cosmetic industries. In 2013 the company was described by the Competition Commission as the market leader in Refractive surgery.[2] As well as a chain of retail opticians the company operates three cosmetic surgery clinics, four private dentistry clinics and a private hospital in Manchester.[2]

Laser eye surgery in the UK is dominated by three main companies Optical Express, Ultralase and Optimax which, in total, account for approximately 56% of clinics in the UK.[3]

Overview and history

An Optical Express store.

The Optical Express group of companies operate in a range of healthcare services including the optical, dental and cosmetic industries under the brand names Optical Express, The Dental Clinic, The Cosmetic Clinic and Bridgewater Hospital The group was founded in 1991 by David Moulsdale[4] with one Optical Express branch based in Leith, Edinburgh.[5] The company grew steadily following its establishment, acquiring the 11 stores of Remocker Shapiro in 1995,[6] and the 65 stores of Specialeyes PLC in 1997.[7] These were followed in 2001 by 34 stores from Co-op Eyecare,[8] and 14 more Scottish stores from Specdeals in 2002.[9]

Optical Express entered the refractive eye surgery market in 2002 when it acquired The Health Clinic which offered general ophthalmic procedures across slightly less than 20 locations in the UK. In 2004 it acquired the ophthalmic treatment assets of Boots Group plc from nine sites in the UK. It did not acquire Boots’ other optician assets.[2]

In 2004, Optical Express acquired two Free Vision Euro Eyes laser vision correction clinics in Amsterdam and The Hague,[10][11] marking the first large-scale UK optical chain to extend its laser vision correction business in Holland.[12] Optical Express acquired the dentistry and laser eye surgery services of Alliance Boots in 2005 - the dental services now trade under the name `The Dental Clinic'.[13]

In June 2010 Optical Express was criticised by Which? and BBC Watchdog. Which? criticized Optical Express, along with other laser eye surgery providers Optimax and Ultralase, focusing on the concern that laser councillors consistently downplayed the risks of surgery[14]

In November 2012, Optical Express closed a subsidiary with 83 stores placed into administration and 40 store closures. In December 2012 Optical Express said it would open 40 new sites as laser consultation/treatment centres in 2013. Landlords expressed dismay that this closure happened two days after quarterly rents were due.[15][15][16][17]

Accounts filed at Companies House for the calendar year 2011 reported a loss of £1.5 million, the previous year the company made a profit of nearly £6.9million.[18]

On 21 July 2013 Optical Express narrowly avoided being foreclosed by its lender RBS and Moulsdale averted administration by purchasing the bank's loans.[19]

1 October 2013: Accounts filed at Companies House show DCM (Optical Holdings) recorded a pre-tax loss of £15.1m in the 12 months to December 29, 2012, wider than the £1.5m loss in the prior year. Founder David Moulsdale unveiled the intention to appoint an administrator for DCM Optical Clinic and then buy back 16 of the 19 stores.[20]

20 November 2013: British Member of Parliament John McDonnell introduced a Ten Minute Rule Bill into Parliament calling for regulation of the refractive eye surgery, including laser eye surgery. Among the concerns raised by McDonnell was misleading advertising and he used the 17 complaints about Optical Express to the Advertising Standards Authority in 2011 as an example.[21]

In November 2013 a Competition Commission report into the merger of two rival companies reported that Optical Express share of the laser eye surgery market was nearly twice the size, and in intraocular lens surgery six times as big as both Optimax and Ultralase combined, the report concluded that the merger of Optimax and Ultralase would not lessen competition in the market.[2]

Advertising

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,[22] and in 2011, the authority upheld a complaint about television advert featuring Pádraig Harrington,[23] which was later replaced by one featuring Michael Gambon.[24]

In 2011 the Advertising Standards Authority upheld 17 complaints about brochures.[21]

In 2012 another TV advert was removed due to misleading content.[25] and a complaint was partially upheld against the Optical Express website.[26]

Charity

In 2007, Optical Express formed a partnership with Glasgow-based charity organisation, The Caring City.[27] Donated spectacles are distributed free of charge via local clinics to communities within Burundi.[28]

Brands

  • Optical Express - brand used for optical retail services including glasses, contact lens and laser eye surgery.[29]
  • Bridgewater Hospital - a private hospital in Manchester, England acquired by the group in December 2006.[30]
  • The Cosmetic Clinic - based at the Bridgewater Hospital it provides cosmetic and non-surgical procedures.[31]
  • The Dental Clinic - formerly the dentist division of Boots PLC acquired in January 2005.[32]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e DCM (Optical Holdings) Limited and subsidiaries, Financial statements for the year ended 1 January 2011, approved 6/5/11.
  2. ^ a b c d Optimax Clinics Limited and Ultralase Limited - Competition Commission Report 20 November 2013
  3. ^ "Eye Health Problems and Eye Health Care Features from Optician Online - Ten years of trends in UK refractive surgery". opticianonline.net. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  4. ^ "David Moulsdale". TimesOnline. London: News Intl. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  5. ^ Conroy, Harry (17 June 1996). "INSIDE BUSINESS Clear vision from Optical Express - Herald Scotland | Sport | SPL | Aberdeen". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  6. ^ Harry Conroy (27 May 1996). "Angel who put pop group among the stars - Herald Scotland | Sport | SPL | Aberdeen". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  7. ^ "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.
  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. ^ "Optical Express goes Dutch in bid to conquer Europe | Sunday Herald, The Newspaper | Find Articles at BNET". Findarticles.com. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Optical Express Announce Expansion into Europe - Optical Express Group". Group.opticalexpress.com. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
  12. ^ "Optical Express - Europe Expansion | Laser Vision Correction Clinics". Lasik-eyes.co.uk. 16 August 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  13. ^ "The Dental Clinic - Optical Express Group". Group.opticalexpress.com. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
  14. ^ "Microsoft PowerPoint - Laser eye surgery" (PDF). Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  15. ^ a b http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/9582592/Landlords-furious-over-JJB-Sports-and-Optical-Express-administrations.html
  16. ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/markets/article-2241499/Have-expensive-specs-lost-sex-appeal-Haggling-mending-old-glasses--shoppers-opticians-peril.html
  17. ^ http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/business/company-news/optician-chain-to-shut-one-quarter-of-stores.19040179?_=8ca3518f1e2e31f2dc3439bd259a4303eca44a3e
  18. ^ Greig Cameron (2013). "Optical Express posts £1.5m loss | Herald Scotland". heraldscotland.com. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  19. ^ Barlow, Ben (2013). "Optical Express saved at 11th hour by founder | The Sunday Times". thesundaytimes.co.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  20. ^ http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/company-news/optical-express-founder-in-new-restructuring-move.22300969
  21. ^ a b http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131120/debtext/131120-0002.htm#13112092000001
  22. ^ "ASA Adjudication on The Optical Express Group - Advertising Standards Authority". Asa.org.uk. 19 December 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  23. ^ "Optical Express TV advert "Clarified"". Lasik-eyes.co.uk. 15 May 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  24. ^ "Optical Express launches new ad campaign - Retail Gazette". retailgazette.co.uk. 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  25. ^ "Optical Express Rapped Over Laser Advert". Hanson Instruments. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
  26. ^ "ASA Adjudication on Optical Express Westfield Ltd - Advertising Standards Authority". Asa.org.uk. 2012-08-22. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
  27. ^ "Gift of sight for world's needy; Specs bring kids a vision of the future. - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  28. ^ "Special Projects - Matthew's Farms". Glasgow The Caring City. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  29. ^ Optical Express
  30. ^ Bridgewater Hospital
  31. ^ The Cosmetic Clinic
  32. ^ The Dental Clinic
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