Mike Hale: Congratulations on reaching 50 years in business. When and how did Waterside come into existence?
Chris Smith: Having trained as a technician at a larger lab in the Southampton area, in 1972 my father, Ray Smith, took the decision to set up his own small business so he could offer a more personalised service to local opticians. It was initially located in Eastleigh, very close to Southampton airport.
MH: What services did the business provide at the start?
CS: In the early years, the business just did glazing and repairs with lenses sourced from various manufacturers.
MH: How did the lab evolve in terms of the practices it served?
CS: The optical world was a different place 50 years ago but, from the very beginning, he focused on the commercial partnership and relationship between lab and practice. Having started initially just supplying local opticians, the business grew by offering its own delivery van service. Over the years, the customer base became more countrywide thanks to improved delivery services, fax machines and electronic data interchange ordering. I think what opticians most valued though was the personal relationship and unbiased advice that only an independent lab can offer.
During the 1970s and ’80s, the business added to the services offered and grew into a sizable business. Waterside became a true lens manufacturer in 1985 when it invested in surfacing equipment and moved to a large unit near Millbrook docks. The company grew substantially and at one time had around 100 employees with two subsidiary businesses in Taunton and the Isle of Wight.
MH: When and why did the lab elect to concentrate on serving the independent sector?
CS: For a period of time in the 1980s, Waterside was the first choice lab for a multiple and the opportunity arose to go solely into the service of this multiple. Ray took the decision that he wanted to stick to his original vision of supplying a more personalised and individualised service to his independent customers rather than just becoming part of a larger organisation.
The commitment to independence was further emphasised in 2006 when a large multinational made an unsolicited offer to buy Waterside. We elected to keep Waterside as it was, an independent lab for independent practices.
MH: When did Waterside move into its current premises?
CS: Advances in technology meant that the Millbrook premises were too large and inefficient to remain at. So, we purchased a new fit-for-purpose unit at Totton on the edge of the New Forest in 2001 where the lab remains to this day.
MH: What service and products does the modern-day Waterside offer clients?
CS: ‘Big enough to cope, small enough to care,’ is a much-used phrase but it really does sum up the ethos of the Waterside business and we never lose sight of the fact that we are here to serve our customers. That ethos hasn’t changed in 50 years, but we have never been afraid of embracing technology. Our fully integrated lab management system ensures we can offer our customers a full online ordering platform incorporating remote edging. Internally, the same system ensures an efficient and seamless journey for each order, from start to finish we want every order to be the very best it can possibly be.
Having invested heavily in freeform surfacing technology, we feel our lens offering is comparable with any of the major lens manufacturers, and we’ve introduced specialist products of our own for sports eyewear, smart glasses, photochromic and honeycomb technology. Specialist skills in sports glazing has led to sunglass brand Revo appointing the company for its European Rx programme.
More than anything though, it is the personalised service we offer and the ability to talk to our vastly experienced customer service team that practices most appreciate.
MH: How has Waterside met the challenges of a consolidating lens sector in the past few years?
CS: Waterside was fortunate that, right up to his retirement in 2016, Ray Smith and his management team always ran a very tight ship and this has continued to the present day. Having thorough knowledge of the industry and understanding of the direction the industry was taking, has enabled us to invest for the future and plan accordingly.
Technology has always been my personal forte and I guess I have been fortunate to be involved in the business at a time when new technologies and computerisation have become such an essential part of what we do.
The introduction of new technologies and systems has been crucial and the addition of freeform in 2012 was essential given the changes in the lens market. We knew that branded semi-finished supply would decrease. While an independent lab could compete by trying to offer better service, pricing or surfacing quality, we asked ourselves ‘how could we compete when all products were manufactured via freeform?’ As the market shifted away from traditionally surfaced conventional progressives into freeform technology, we took the conscious decision to increase our investment adding further freeform lines to ensure long term survival as a lab and, more importantly, as a manufacturer.
This decision resulted in the development of our extensive own brand lens ranges, such as Infinity and Elysium, each available in a multitude of designs and lens materials. The introduction of freeform was complemented by the subsequent introduction of in-house anti-reflection coating. This meant we had complete control over all our production, which seemed like the natural thing to do.
MH: Fifty years in business is a great achievement, what has been behind this success?
CS: Hard work and determination are at the core of Waterside’s success, but in the past decade especially it has been the ability to change with the times, recognise how the market has evolved, and adapt accordingly.
From the beginning, Ray created a strong bond with his independent customers with many of them using Waterside as a supplier for 30 years or more. In the early days and beyond, customers appreciated the fact that they could pick up the phone and talk with Ray himself at any time between 7am and 7pm, six days a week, to seek advice or check on the progress of an order. Having lots of small customers made the business much more secure and, as an independent business with no ties to any of the major manufacturers, I think independent practice owners have always felt an affinity with Waterside. I feel we understand the challenges for independent practices competing against the multiples because we face a similar situation in our own business.
MH: What does founder Ray Smith make of Waterside’s ongoing success?
CS: Ray recognises how much the industry has changed over the last 50 years. When he started the business, all lenses were glass, sight tests were free and NHS frames were the norm. He is proud that the business has stayed independent and of the way that employees stayed at Waterside and developed with the company.
MH: Is the company set to run for another 50 years?
CS: Waterside will continue to adapt and evolve as the needs of our customers change, but the core values will always remain. We will continue to develop products and solutions for our independent customers giving them the opportunity to differentiate themselves and compete.