Duncan and Todd Group, Scotland’s largest privately-owned optician and hearing care provider, has welcomed patients from Pitlochry Opticians to its expanding portfolio.
The group’s existing 20 20 Opticians in Perth and Pitlochry Opticians are to move to a brand new city centre store at 6 Kinnoull Street, Perth.
The brands will merge and trade as Duncan and Todd Opticians and Hearing Care in their new home, which opens on Wednesday, May 25.
The current owner of Pitlochry Opticians, Belinda Redden, has decided to retire after a career in optometry which has spanned 40 years.
Following a goodwill purchase by Duncan and Todd, Pitlochry patients will transfer to the newly rebranded store in Perth. The Pitlochry store on West Moulin Road and the existing 20 20 branch on George Street will both close.
Well known team member Lisa Hazzard will transfer to a new position with Duncan and Todd in the new Perth branch.
Duncan and Todd Group managing director, Frances Rus said: “We are pleased to be welcoming patients from Pitlochry Opticians to our new store in Perth, along with Lisa who will continue to be a familiar, friendly face.
“As a fellow long-established independent optometrist which is committed to providing a high quality and personal service to the local community, Pitlochry Opticians was a great fit for us, and our combined team is excited to be moving to a new premises in the city centre.
“Under the new brand of Duncan and Todd, we will be able to extend our offering to new and existing patients, including hearing care.”
Belinda Redden, who previously worked for Duncan and Todd in Peterhead, Aberdeen and Inverurie before moving to Pitlochry, said it had been a difficult decision to retire.
“We have been very lucky to live and work in Pitlochry, it has been a lovely place to work and bring up our family and our patients have become friends so I am very pleased that the practice is merging with Duncan & Todd, with whom I have close links,” she said.
“I have no doubt that our patients will continue to receive a high level of care and personal service at the new branch in Perth, where they will also be able to continue enjoying high-quality customer service and eyecare as well as the introduction of new brands and special offers.”
With 44 branches across Scotland, Duncan and Todd trades as 20 20 Opticians south of Tayside and as Duncan and Todd in the north, as well as retaining names which are well known locally, such as JM MacDonald in the Highlands.
As well as Caledonian Optical, its own dedicated lens manufacturing facility, the group also operates Smart Employee Eyecare (SEE), a corporate eyecare offering which provides a simple web-based service to satisfy a company’s legal HSE compliance requirements for employees’ eye care to large public and private sector clients.
