A 20th anniversary for a business in a market as competitive and complex as optics is always worth celebrating. All the more so for Asda Opticians, which conducts optometry in a non-traditional supermarket setting and has achieved impressive growth over its first two decades.
The inaugural Asda Opticians was opened on May 5, 2000 at the super-market’s Minworth store in the Midlands. Six weeks later this was joined by a practice at Bristol Patchway and by the end of the year a total of six practices were in operation. The chain expanded rapidly to 71 practices by the end of 2004, after which only a practice or two was added annually for several years. Steeper growth returned in 2013 with 65 new practices created in a three year stretch, putting the chain within sight of its current total of 156.
Against the backdrop of this expansion, Asda’s practices, like those in other
settings, have changed greatly over the past 20 years. Reena Patel, optical manager at Asda Abbey Lane, joined Asda as a dispensing assistant at Leicester Fosse Park in October 2000 and contrasts working ‘with paper records and diaries and faxing individual orders through to the lab’ to the present day paperless practices driven by Optix practice management software.
‘During the last 20 years we have come a long way,’ says Patel. ‘We have evolved and changed with the times but some things – like great benefits, flexible working and training – have stayed the same.’
Sarah Joyce, superintendent optometrist at Asda Opticians, agrees that the chain has been on a journey.
‘We entered the optical market trying to do the same as everyone else but just as “Asda” and soon realised this wasn’t going to work,’ says Joyce. ‘Why would people come to us if we were just more of the same? We soon realised we needed to do it the Asda way.’
The key to this and, in Joyce’s view, the main achievement of the past two decades has been offering patients a better service through an inclusive pricing structure that sees anti-reflective coatings, tints, varifocals and bifocals available at no extra cost.
‘Moving to a complete price across all our ranges, this is our biggest point of difference to our competitors,’ says Joyce. ‘It also allows our professionals to recommend what they believe the patient needs without needing to be concerned about whether the person can afford it because it will all be included. This was no easy feat and it is only through the hard work of our commercial team and the partnerships with our suppliers and glazing house, who understood our mission and supported us on the journey, that has allowed us to move to this. First this was available for just single vision spectacles but is now available across all spectacle lens types.’
Lizzy Massey, vice president of non-food at Asda, underlines that the optical business is built on the same underlying values as the core grocery business.
‘The customer is number one,’ says Massey. ‘The proposition we have in Asda Opticians really does put the customer at the centre and ensures they get everything they need included in the price with no nasty surprises. Customers have told us they don’t trust the advertising or prices they see on the high street, believing they were going to get sold to and end up paying much more than advertised. This put them off booking eye examinations due to the fear of the final cost. This was one of the reasons why we felt it was important to achieve our complete price on all our spectacles.’
Sustainable optometry
Asda’s grocery sector, like other supermarkets, is placing great emphasis on sustainability in its future planning. Massey explains that the optical side of the business is no different.
‘We are just as passionate about driving sustainable solutions in Asda Opticians,’ says Massey. ‘Last year we launched 18 lines of our exclusive eyewear brand, Bio Eyes, to our range. The frames are made of 95% recycled material. The award nominated range has been a real success, with style conscious customers loving that they can afford to make a sustainable choice without breaking the bank. We’re committed to extending the choice of recycled frames we stock, adding even more new lines in 2020.’
Massey goes on to explain that much more is being done behind the scenes.
‘We’re also really mindful of reducing our carbon footprint through changes to our logistics and supply chain,’ she notes. ‘From working with one of our biggest supply partners to remove unnecessary plastic and cardboard used in frame transportation, to exploring how we can integrate totes into our delivery model, we are keen to make the right changes where it really counts. Part of our business planning is focused exclusively on driving sustainable solutions in not only the next one to two years but also in the next five to 10. We recognise that there is still much to do to move sustainability forward in the optical market and we will absolutely continue to champion the agenda at Asda.’
Away from sustainability, Joyce identifies ‘perception, whether that be from fellow peers or from patients’ as the biggest challenge facing Asda Opticians as it enters its third decade.
‘People immediately make certain assumptions about supermarket opticians and what we are trying to do. We work hard to prove that we are not a supermarket opticians but an opticians located within a supermarket, which I think is very different,’ says Joyce. ‘Our professionals are excellent at supporting us in trying to change this perception through delivering excellent service and care while our commercial teams ensure that we don’t compromise on quality.’
Asked what she would tell someone working in community practice about the supermarket setting, Patel highlights flexibility and training.
‘Asda is a great company to work for and takes real care of its employees,’ says Patel. ‘The flexible working is extremely useful and works well with my family life. The company offers a great training scheme to ensure all optical colleagues are trained effectively to provide excellent services to our patients and also to have a great understanding of the products and services we provide.’
For those interested in working in the supermarket setting, Joyce notes that the optical manager role may differ from similar roles in community-based practices.
‘All of our optical managers are qualified dispensing opticians,’ says Joyce. ‘Their role is to lead their optical team while also managing the operational, commercial and compliance elements of their department. They are responsible for our optical advisor training, supported by our learning management system. So at Asda Opticians this role is about being a manager as much as a dispensing optician. We find that our optometrists and contact lens opticians like having a dispensing optician managing the department.’
Joyce also expands on employee benefits available at Asda Opticians.
‘There is flexibility in working patterns with us being open seven days per week and till 8pm in the evening,’ says Joyce. ‘You can choose to be involved in so much more than just the world of optical if you choose, working alongside so many different people and departments. Being owned by the world’s largest retailer Walmart, there are also international opportunities within the Walmart business should you be interested down the line. Other benefits include discounts on shopping and share schemes.’
Future hopes
Asked where they see Asda Opticians in another 20 years Patel states she would like to see more people benefit from the company’s services. ‘I would like to see Asda Opticians in every single one of our stores so that everyone in the country is able to access the amazing services, products and prices we are able to offer our patients.’
For her part, Joyce casts an eye over the Atlantic at a wider healthcare offering.
‘I see what Walmart is doing in the US with their health and wellness centres, which work to ensure affordable healthcare is available in communities. I would love to see us replicate something similar in the UK combining multiple healthcare offerings all under one roof, all accessible and affordable for our communities.’
Meanwhile Massey highlights the need to adapt to whatever customers need in the future. ‘This is such a hard question to answer as the market is moving so fast, but definitely still providing the best value, most comprehensive eye care service to our customers. Whether that is online, through technology, or at the other end of the spectrum, a community based service – whatever our customers need from us, and wherever, however they need it, we will strive to deliver.’ •