Co-op travel boss takes charge of optical chain

Ms Rankin will continue in her role as general manager of Co-op Travel Care, the travel agency arm of the parent business. However, with the departure of optometrist Paul Mitchell, previously Co-op Eye Care's general manager, she will take charge of the optical chain, which has 21 franchise partnerships within its total. 'Paul Mitchell left the company as a consequence of a planned reorganisation within the commercial division,' said a Co-op Eye Care spokesman. 'His job will cease to exist but Yvonne will assume responsibility immediately for the Eye Care business.' Co-op Eye Care has branches listed in the Opticians Register as far afield as Torquay and Scunthorpe, but its concentration is around the Co-op's traditional heartland in Manchester and the rest of Lancashire. Of the 55 branches, 21 are franchises with several called 'New Sphere'. Last published figures for the group recorded that Co-op Eye Care had a turnover of &\#163;8m in 1998.