Surridge forges links in Europe

Sight Care chief executive Paul Surridge has been flying the flag for independents during the second annual European Ideas Forum (EIF) in Amsterdam.

He was joined by independent practitioners from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands last month. Surridge explained to the group how national PR campaign Eye Love Local had given independents a louder voice in the UK.

He said: 'Independents invariably lack visibility and often their message is drowned out by the sheer volume of discount deals constantly promoted on TV, radio and the print media. As a business and product resource group for UK independents we felt it was time to launch a campaign that reminded consumers that community matters, and that community is often supported by local businesses including independent opticians.