Look local: Community chains in Chesterfield

Chesterfield’s central retail zone and surrounding shopping centres have a practice from each of five of the UK’s top 10 largest optometric chains (Optician 13.05.16). These include Specsavers, Vision Express, Boots, Tesco and Scrivens.

Kate Christian (pictured below, dispensing optician at Tesco Opticians describes Chesterfield as a ‘typical northern market town’. It was once reliant on coal mining but has ‘fought back’ since the closing of the pits with workers now within customer service industries.

She says: ‘The high street is a mix of traditional shops that have kept business despite several recessions, along with the newer pound shops, charity shops and a large Primark. Most shoppers rely on large out of central town retail parks, where we are situated. This also gives us a large footfall every day which is important in a changing optical market, with competition from online spectacle retailers.