Specsavers’ latest 2018-19 annual review has revealed another impressive year, with global revenue up 6%, including Australian revenue of AUD$987 million and New Zealand revenue of NZD$135 million.

Marking 35 years since Specsavers was launched in the UK in 1984, the recently released annual review of the Specsavers financial year – 1 March 2018 to 28 February 2019 – includes developments in products, services and customer offer, support to partners, people development and initiatives, and Specsavers’ corporate responsibility approach.

Specsavers Founder Doug Perkins commented, “We’re now a multi-category business with optics, home visits, contact lenses, audiology, and broader eye care services all playing a part in being recognised as a trusted healthcare brand.

“One critical element of our success is having 37,000 passionate and highly-skilled people as global partners, store teams, office and manufacturing and distribution colleagues – at the heart of everything we do.

“What our 38 million customers across the globe really remember is great human interactions: the special care and attention that our people provide every day.”

Over 2018-19, Specsavers:

  • Had an overall global revenue of £2.78 billion (AUD$4.9 billion) – a 6% increase on 2017-18. This included Australian revenue of AUD$987 million and New Zealand revenue of NZD$135 million.
  • Sold 530 million contact lenses, 21.6 million frames, and 400,000 hearing aids globally
  • Had 330 Australian optical stores – 86 of which included audiology clinics – and 52 New Zealand optical stores
  • Donated more than £2.5 million (AUD$4.4 million) to charities and global causes.

Highlights from Australia and New Zealand
Over 2018-19, Specsavers Australia & New Zealand:

  • Provided OCT scans to patients across all of its New Zealand stores and in 200 of its Australian stores.
  • Published the inaugural State of the Nation Eye Health report, which provided a comprehensive overview of the status of eye health in the region as well as new data and insights based on analysis of more than six million Australian and New Zealand patient journeys.
  • Worked with Diabetes Australia to develop the KeepSight initiative, which communicates directly with the 1.3 million Australians living with diabetes to ensure they are receiving clear and regular messages about when their next eye exam is due. As part of this, Specsavers committed AUD$1 million annually for five years towards the program.
  • Celebrated the first anniversary of its audiology partnership model in Australia. By the end of the financial year, 51 audiology partners were providing expert services in 86 stores across the country.
  • Became the first audiology provider in Australia to offer instant health fund claiming for customers in-store. In the same year, Specsavers also became the first – and only – online contact lens retailer in Australia to provide instant health fund claiming for members of participating health funds via its website.
  • Reached a milestone of dispensing a total of 30 million pairs of glasses since entering the Australian and New Zealand market in 2008.
  • Continued to complete huge order volumes from its Melbourne Glazing Services facility in Port Melbourne, with a staggering 500,000 jobs being dispatched to stores across the region in a single month.
  • Enjoyed a record year in New Zealand, with sight test volumes reaching more than 10,000 in one week for the first time.
  • Was awarded Optometrist Gold Winner at the Reader’s Digest Quality Service Awards in Australia for the second consecutive year.
  • Won the 2018 Platinum LearnX Award for its Spotlight Engage program, a wellbeing leadership course for partners.
  • Welcomed 150 recently-qualified optometrists to the Specsavers Graduate Program – the company’s largest ever intake, representing a 50% increase on the previous year.

To find out more about Specsavers’ global achievements over the last year, read the Specsavers Annual Review 2018-2019.