Sight Care boss warns of tough times ahead

Tougher economic times lie ahead and practitioners must be ready to meet the challenges posed by another downturn in the economy head on, according to Sight Care chief executive Paul Surridge.

Speaking to Optician at Sight Care's 2011 conference, which took place on February 28 at Birmingham's Hilton Metropole hotel, Surridge explained that practitioners needed to recognise that planned job cuts in the public sector and increased taxation would further impact the retail business sector, including optical outlets.

'I don't think we have seen tough times yet. I think the next two years are going to be extremely difficult for some, but not for all,' he said. 'Once the public sector cuts come, once the job losses come and once direct and indirect taxation starts to make an impact, it is going to have an impact on all of us. People are going to start thinking twice about how they spend their money.