The new face of Rawlinsons Optometrists

2016 has been a landmark year for the Skegness based family business formerly known as Hilton and Rawlinson.
Optometrist Martin Rawlinson welcomed his wife Laura to the team at the start of the year and this month sees the launch of new branding and signage, with the business moving forward as Rawlinsons Optometrists.

Laura has more than ten years’ experience as a qualified optometrist and had previously worked for a national chain of opticians in Boston.

“We relocated our home and family to Skegness a couple of years ago,” Laura explained, “and while I have been part of the business in the background for a while, the growth of our client base here has allowed us to realise our plans of me being part of the front of house team too.

“We have always taken great pride in being a family business and ensuring we deliver all the values of quality, service and friendliness in our eyecare which people associate with a local company. Working alongside Martin has increased the number of consultation hours we can offer. We have already seen an increase in client numbers and we have more time to devote to the dispensing side too.”

Martin and Laura alternate their hours and time in the consultation room, which has not only been beneficial to the business but also to their own work/life balance.

The new branding has adopted a very clean white, black and gold colourway which will appear on their signage from 1st October and will be carried through all marketing material and in-house accessories, such as lens cloths and cases.

INVESTING IN DIAGNOSTIC TECHNOLOGY
Optometry is continually benefitting from the rapid innovation of diagnostic technology and the most recent piece of equipment which Rawlinsons Optometrists have invested in is an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scanner.

“This allows us to scan the retina, the light sensitive tissue layers at the back of the eye,” said Martin. “This non-invasive imaging test uses light waves to take a cross section picture of your retina. We can more quickly and accurately identify issues which might require hospital referral or management.”

Rawlinsons have worked with German optical and lens specialists Rodenstock for over six years and were the first practice in Lincolnshire to purchase Rodenstock’s DNEye scanner.

“This cutting edge equipment uses high resolution wavefront analysis to register lower and higher-order aberrations of the eye for both near and far vision, as well as the brightness-dependent changes of the pupils,” said Martin. “In layman’s terms it means we can tailor a lens which allows for 100 per cent exploitation of a customer’s vision potential.”

MEET THE TEAM
Martin and Laura have a very experienced team of optical advisors: Liz Middleton, Joan Bullivant and Kate Sykes, who manage reception, appointments and dispensing services for clients.

“We have got to know so many of our clients on first name terms now,” continued Martin. “It is important that we understand their particular requirements to manage their eyesight in the most effective way and to have their trust in our service. We want customers to rate us alongside their doctor and dentist in terms of their confidence in our care of their sight. Liz, Joan and Kate usually have first contact with new customers and they do a great job of introducing our company and welcoming them to the practice.”

CHOICE OF STYLES AND BRANDS
Martin and Laura would describe most of their customers as being happy spectacle wearers but they are equally able to supply contact lenses or a combination of both. Investing in new collections of frames from leading brands is ongoing. Frames on display in the showroom include those by Ray-Ban, Bulgari, Porsche Design, Joules, Nike, Lacoste, Ted Baker, Radley and Oakley.

As Laura and Martin settle into their working partnership, their future plans include further growth and investment for Rawlinsons Optometrists as well as enjoying being part of the Skegness community in their family life.

OPEN DAY INVITATION
Rawlinsons Optometrists will be holding Open Days on Friday 14th October (9am–7pm) and Saturday 15th October (9am–5pm) as part of their branding launch and showcasing of the latest collection of frames from Ray-Ban and Bulgari.

“These two days will be a great opportunity for customers old and new to come and talk to Laura and myself without the time constraints of a consultation,” said Martin. “On Friday we will be welcoming a UK representative from Bulgari from 11am to 3pm who will be showcasing their new frame collections. On Friday and Saturday we shall be offering visitors the chance to try up to 200 Ray-Ban frames. As well as styling recommendations there will also be a special promotion of 20% off frames and lenses ordered on either of these days.”

Rawlinsons Optometrists, 1 Lumley Avenue, Skegness PE25 2AH, Tel: 01754 766773.

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