Opticians have clear focus on growth after acquisitions

BAYFIELDS OPTICIANS are now seeing double after acquiring two businesses which will see its turnover increase by nearly 80%.

The Leeds company has added Harwoods Opticians, a four-store business in Surrey and Hampshire, and Huddersfield-based Angela Barraclough Opticians to its existing six stores.

The stores have been placed into separate subsidiaries – Bayfields (Huddersfield) and Bayfields (South) – and all five stores will be rebranded as Bayfields over time. Staff, including Harwoods’ former owners, have moved over to boost the group’s workforce to 66.

“Huddersfield opens up a new area of the region for us, and our expansion in the south of the country amply demonstrates our intentions of creating a truly national offering,” said Royston Bayfield, managing director of Bayfields Opticians.

“We have developed a strong Yorkshire brand and now have the confidence to go outside of the region as part of our comprehensive expansion plans.”

Bayfields has set itself a target of 50 practices by 2025, which will require it to more than quadruple its current 11 stores.

Shulmans partner Marcus Armstrong, who acted for Bayfields Opticians, said: “These two deals represent a growth in turnover of almost 80 per cent – an astonishing achievement.  Bayfields Opticians is a truly ambitious firm and expanding outside of the region is a genuine marker of its future growth plans.”