A star-studded breakfast launch heralded the opening of Vision Express' flagship London store with a celebrity chef and Paralympic medal winners on hand to help the multiple celebrate.
The three-storey Oxford Street east store will sit just a few doors along the iconic shopping strip from VE's Oxford St west outlet and act as a showcase for VE and a testing ground for new ideas. The store has six consulting rooms, including a purpose-built contact lens teach-in area and OCT suite. It also makes wide use of technology to interact with customers.
The store has five large digital displays that act as interactive billboards both in-store and for shoppers walking along the street. Interactive touch screens are also set into a huge contact lens journey mural along the wall of the ground floor.
The practice's most impressive aspect is the range and quality of product available. TD Tom Davies has signed an agreement exclusive to the flagship store, to provide its Bespoke service. The first floor also houses the largest colletion of Oakley products in Europe.
Opening the store chief executive Jonathan Lawson praised the effort put in by staff and partners over the last four months to get the 9,117sq ft store up and running.
He also said the opening showed VE's belief and commitment to the market. 'Currently news about the high street is negative, it's about closure and not opening.' He said he would like to have seen more openings. 'As retailers this is a bit like Christmas.'
Heston Blumenthal, celebrity chef and VE brand ambassador, said the line of frames currently being developed with Tom Davies and Inspecs would be launched in the spring.
The line is believed to draw on detailing and materials from Blumenthal's culinary roots and be built around the wrapped, angular eyeshapes favoured by the chef. 'I have the naivety to think anything is possible,' he said, adding that his 'geeky obsessions' were matched by the VE team.
Paralympic swimmer Harriet Lee, who took bronze in the SB9 100m at London 2012 and athlete Richard Whitehead, who won gold in the T42 200m, also supported last Friday's launch.