Optical Express buys Boots' laser business

Optical Express will inherit over 10,000 laser eye correction patients in its deal with Boots. The transfer of the business, which will officially begin on Monday (October 25), comes ahead of a further expansion of OE's laser interests in the UK, announced this week. The agreement, to buy the laser eye correction and dentistry businesses, means that David Moulsdale's Cumbernauld-based company is Europe's largest provider of the combination of laser surgery and optometry. In all, 700 Boots employees will transfer, bringing the total number of OE staff to around 2,300. Moulsdale, OE's chief executive, told optician this week that he was delighted to have bought the businesses from Boots, adding that the company has a track record of successfully absorbing large groups of people from other companies. 'We've had experience of integrating a large number of people into our business successfully on several occasions now,' he said. 'When we acquired Specialeyes in 1997 we had a business of 180 people, and they had 600 people, so we took on a business that was three times our size in terms of sales, and staff.' Moulsdale told optician that there were a number of vacancies in its nationwide network of laser eye correction clinics before the deal with Boots was made, so it was logical that the personnel, who stood to lose their jobs after Boots' exit from the extended service was announced last month, joined his group. 'Our laser business is doing well,' he said. 'In August we treated more people for laser eye correction than any month previously in the history of our business in that sector,' he claimed, 'and September was a strong month too.' OE entered the refractive surgery market after it bought the Health Clinic in October 2002. Moulsdale said he hoped that the goodwill of Boots' laser patients would help OE's offer. 'We believe that by taking on the thousands of patients that have had laser eye surgery correction successfully at Boots we will inherit some of the goodwill from their patients, which will stimulate more business in our clinics,' he said. 'For example, we were seeing 150 people in Glasgow a month, whereas Boots was seeing 50 in the same city Ð but if we could even get half of that Boots figure going forward we'll be very pleased.' He revealed that OE would open four new laser eye clinics soon. 'Even before the acquisition of Boots [laser business] we had planned to open four new laser centres before the end of March in Aberdeen, Norwich, Nottingham and Leeds,' he said. 'And we'll be opening up in Bluewater a stand-alone super optical laser, optometry and dental outlet.' Colin McLean, Boots commercial director for the services businesses said: 'When we announced we were exiting from these services we made our priority the continuity of care for patients and redeployment of as many of our people as possible. 'This announcement means patients will continue to have access to high quality care through Optical Express's laser eye correction and dentistry network and the majority of employees will have secure continued employment.'