Scotland’s largest privately-owned optician and hearing care provider has added Ayrshire practices to its growing portfolio.
Duncan and Todd Group, which owns the 20 20 Opticians chain, has acquired Opticare and Catriona Pearson Opticians, both located in Saltcoats, and added hearing care services as an additional offering for patients.
The two Saltcoats practices have merged and are now trading from the previous Pearson’s branch on the town’s Hamilton Street, under the new brand of 20 20 Opticians and Hearing Care.
Catriona Pearson is staying at the branch as an optometrist alongside the existing team, and Lorna from Opticare has also transferred to Duncan and Todd Group.
Already offering hearing care services across many of its practices in Scotland, the group has invested significantly in the offering, providing a dedicated space for audiology appointments, as well as an in-house staff training programme.
Services include a free screening test, free hearing assessment and free unlimited service appointments as well as the latest digital technologies in hearing aids.
As well as bringing audiology services, the latest acquisitions take Duncan and Todd Group’s total branches to more than 40 across Scotland.
Group managing director, Frances Rus said: “We are pleased to have added Saltcoats to our Scotland-wide family of opticians and hearing care providers.
“We already have branches in Ayr and Troon so this has extended our reach across Ayrshire while allowing us to add our hearing care services for the people of Saltcoats and the surrounding area. We are always looking to align with independent optometrists who share our commitment to providing a high quality and personal service to their communities.
“We are pleased to welcome the staff to the wider Duncan and Todd Group and are particularly delighted that Catriona Pearson is staying with us to offer continuity for patients. We look forward to seeing both existing and new customers in the coming months.”
With more than 40% of people over the age of 50 suffering from hearing loss, rising to 71% of people over the age of 70, 20 20’s hearing specialists will be available to support patients going through such changes.
Frances added: “We’ve found that by rolling out the offering at many of our practices in Scotland, more and more people are talking about their hearing difficulties, and any stigma around it is falling. We’re sure that new and returning patients in Ayrshire will benefit from the service.”
Duncan and Todd Group, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, trades as 20 20 Opticians south of Perthshire 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 in a new £1.5million lab in Aberdeen, the group also operates Smart Employee Eyecare (SEE), a corporate eye care 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.
For more information, visit https://www.duncanandtoddgroup.com/2020
