Boots Opticians hosts party to celebrate £100,000 refurbishment in Bury St Edmunds
Boots customers in Bury St Edmunds are now benefiting from a £100,000 investment in the store’s opticians department.
As well as undergoing a visual transformation, with freshly painted walls, newly carpeted floors and new furniture, the service has also extended its ranges and updated the ophthalmic equipment it uses to check the health of customers’ eyes.
“Before it looked tired and dated whereas now it feels modern, clean, and clinical as well, which I think is important when you’re dealing with health - and it feels more welcoming,” said practice manager Josh Jeeves.
Diabetic screening and glaucoma monitoring are now also being considered among a number of enhanced services for the Cornhill store.
Ben Fletcher, managing director of Boots Opticians, was among guests to attend an official launch party at the store today where customers were also invited to join in with the celebrations.
He said: “Before we had a great team but a tired practice and we just had this opportunity then to come in and refurbish it and make the environment as good as the team.
“We’ve invested in our equipment, we’ve invested in our environment and we’ve invested in our ranges so really everything that means something to our customers has had investment.”
The work took place this month over 15 nights to avoid causing disruption to people visiting the store.
Mr Jeeves, who had been known to get his hands dirty if a spot of vacuuming needed doing moments before opening, praised his team for doing such a ‘fantastic job’ throughout the ‘challenging’ refurbishment period.
“It’s been a tough, tiring two weeks but it’s definitely been worth it,” he said.
Optical consultant Jade Stiff said: “I’ve been here almost 14 years so I’ve seen it change a lot. The new equipment’s going to make such a difference to our patients, it’s going to be amazing.”
Assistant manager Sonia Macaulay, who cut today’s celebratory cake, said, until now, the service had received little investment, with no notable change when she returned to the store 15 months ago after a decade-long break.
She said: “Now we look professional, clean, tidy, clinical and in line with our competitors, and that’s the reaction we’ve had from our customers - it’s really having an impact on them.”
The Bury store’s refurbishment forms part of a multimillion pound investment in Boots Opticians across the country, which has also seen new optical practices open in areas like Stowmarket and Newmarket.
