Annual review 2016 - 2017 | Page 47

4.4 million frames being delivered to customers across drives the professional development of opticians Australia and New Zealand through Melbourne across the region. Glazing Services. In the coming year, we will continue on this journey, Looking ahead to the next decade, we have a clear as well as upgrading our customer offer, embedding vision for the business, built upon our four pillars of our recruitment strategy and expanding our store Value, legendary Customer Experience, advancing network. We will also start to introduce new systems Professionalism and developing the Partnership. and technology that will help to optimise our business and support us in our ambitions. Northern Europe In Northern Europe, it has been a busy year. It began, I am incredibly proud of the achievements in both as ever, with intense competition in all our markets, but regions over the past year and am excited by our as a result of the continuous effort from our teams, we plans for the coming year. Our journey so far, as a saw strong growth by the end of 2016/17. business and as a Partnership, has been nothing short of extraordinary. And as we look forward to the next Our strategy has focused on Price, Quality, Service 10 years, our future looks brighter than ever. and Style, all underpinned by the Partnership. For me, highlights of the year included becoming market leaders in all our Nordic territories, particular success for hearing care in Netherlands, with 10% more customers choosing Specsavers for their hearing needs despite a challenging market, and welcoming 1,500 members to our new and Nigel Parker unique Specsavers Green Club, which supports and Managing Director – ANZ & Northern Europe This has been a record- glasses – at Specsavers, we look after people’s complete breaking year for the UK eye health. business, with record sales week after week and great We launched some great new products too, including performance across all our the Kylie Minogue Eyewear collection – our most markets. Our focus has been successful frame launch ever – and our most exciting on the qualities that have hearing products for years, the Signia Cellion primax made us great, and we have 5 and 7 hearing aids from Siemens. The introduction devoted our energies to brilliant service and providing of online appointments has enabled us to welcome best value, keeping it simple, and getting it right. significantly more new customers, decreasing the number And the results are testament to the hard work of our of appointment no-shows and bringing time-saving partners, as well as our store and support-office teams. efficiencies to our stores. Our professional credentials have been firmly established A key priority for the year ahead is to remain focused with our focus on offering enhanced optical services, on providing outstanding products and services to our and the launch of our biggest campaign in the UK this customers. I am looking forward to what looks set to year to transform eye health. We are transforming our be an exciting year. operation by identifying enhanced services on the high street as an important element in the future of optometry, and committing ourselves to working with the NHS to bring more health care into the community and away from hospitals. It is another example of Specsavers Paul Marshall