Black & Lizars sets sights on move into corporate sector

Opticians chain Black & Lizars has corporate customers in its sights as it looks to diversify the business.

Nisith Nathwani, who will spearhead Black & Lizars drive into the corporate sphere, pictured with MD Michelle Le Prevost and HR manager Kathryn Littlewood. Picture: Robert Perry

The new “corporate eye and hearing protection package” will complement the group’s retail division, which reported record turnover of £14.3 million across its 24 branches throughout Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The focus on the corporate sphere comes after the recent appointment of Nisith Nathwani, who joined the company as commercial manager at the end of 2016 and will spearhead the initiative.

A pharmacy graduate from the University of Strathclyde, Nathwani worked for Well – previously Co-op Pharmacy – as development manager and portfolio manager. Before that he acquired a grounding in optometry as divisional operations manager at Asda.

He said: “We have identified a significant corporate market, in which companies are keen to offer the high levels of professional care available at Black & Lizars to their senior management and staff. Our key selling point will be the availability of the most technically advanced optical equipment in the country.

“Black & Lizars has invested heavily in the latest 3D eye scanners and it has the largest network in the UK of new Optomaps, the ultra-wide retinal scanners designed and built in Scotland by Optos.”