Newsletter tackles the latest issues

Published this month, the newsletter tackles the overall message of the importance of visual protection available from independents. Other areas covered are the potential danger of UV light, titanium spectacle frames, a history of eyewear and the value of regular eye examinations. Graham Hutchison of the Independent Marketing Partnership explained that the coverage aimed to help member practices to increase their average dispensing values because patients were pre-sold on the benefits of wearing better quality products before they visited the practice. 'It enables independent practitioners to communicate more effectively with their patients because of its soft sell approach, using a mix of interesting articles on eyewear and eye care. 'Our experience is that a professionally produced newsletter is one of the bast ways to build patient loyalty and added-value sales,' explained Mr Hutchison. The newsletter, published twice a year, is personalised and distributed either by patient recall letters or local household drops for the group's 634 member practices. u For further details, contact 020 8224 1595. - Players at Reading football Club were recently given an optical make-over by David Clulow Opticians of Reading, an official sponsor of the team since last autumn. The company's marketing director Sharon Gerrard presented team members with an assortment of designer sunglasses, including Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Oakley and David Clulow's own range. She added that she hoped that Clulow's support would boost the team's image and performance as she made the presentation at Reading's training ground, the Hockey and Cricket club in Sonning. - The team is pictured below with Sharon Gerrard (right) and Rosalind Freeborn (left) from David Clulow Opticians.