Vision Express buys 12 Crown Eyeglass shops
BLACKBURN-based Crown Eyeglass, the optical services manufacturer and retailer, has sold 12 of its opticians shops to national chain Vision Express.
Vision Express has closed eight of the 12 shops, which traded as Crown Optical Centre and Direkt, and says it will “seek to retain” the services of staff affected within its store network, which now stands at 331.
The eight affected shops are at: Birkenhead, Blackpool, Lancaster, Wrexham, Doncaster, Halifax, Chesterfield and York.
The other remaining four stores in Lytham, Cleveleys, Chorley and Rotherham, will trade from their existing locations, and will be rebranded as Vision Express outlets.
Last month the founder of Crown Optical, Joseph Lee, 81, told The Lancashire Telegraph that he was looking to sell the business, including the manufacturing facility at Glenfield Park, due to competition from cheap imports from China hitting sales.
The company made an operating profit of just over £54,000 on turnover of £8.7m in 2012.
Vision Express chief executive Jonathan Lawson said: “This is a very exciting investment for Vision Express and we are looking forward to working with our new teams and welcoming new customers to Vision Express.
“We hope to replicate some of the successes we have had in our existing high street stores and continue to provide more customers with an excellent eye care service, a wider range of products, as well as value for money.”
