All eyes were on Caerphilly town’s Specsavers on Wednesday May 18 as the opticians’ co-founder Dame Mary Perkins opened its new £500,000 store on Cardiff Road.
The new 3,900 square foot store, which was previously Shoe Zone, represents a step-up from the smaller shop down the road, where Specsavers had been since 1995.
As part of the £500,000 investment, the two-floor store houses a digital retinal photography camera, seven test rooms and two pre-screening booths as well as dedicated contact lens and audiology departments, complete with a soundproof booth.
Specsavers Caerphilly currently employs 28 members of staff, and ahead of its relocation appointed three optical assistants and three optometrists.
Specsavers co-founder, Dame Mary Perkins, visited the new store with the company’s UK managing director, Paul Marshall, to officially cut the ribbon and open the opticians to the Caerphilly community.
Caerphilly store director, Geraint Jones, said: “We’ve enjoyed a long 21-year tenure at our previous address on Cardiff Road, but the opportunity of moving to a bigger location was needed to keep up with the growing demand for our optical and audiology services.
“At Specsavers, we pride ourselves on our quality of customer service and the relocation to a larger store with improved facilities means we’re now in the best position possible to support more members of the community, while maintaining our high standards.
“Having Dame Mary and Paul here to official open the store was a huge honour, not just for our store but the Caerphilly community. We look forward to welcoming customers into our new home to see the improvements for themselves.”
A Dame visiting our town, a Lord Visiting our Town in the figure of Kinnock senior, ( except he had a last minute change on mind last week,) and Nigel Farage? we really are on the noblility Map, whatever next??? “local man becomes enobled for his services to politics” ?????