Northampton opticians nominated for hat trick of prestigious Optician Awards

The team behind opticians in Northampton and Weston Favell are raising their glasses after being shortlisted for a hat trick of awards in the prestigious Optician Awards.

Specsavers on Abington Street in Northampton and its sister store situated in the Weston Favell Shopping Centre have reached the final stages of the national competition. Both stores are finalists in the Multiple Practice of the Year category, thanks to the team’s commitment to providing first class eye care in the community. Entrants were also judged on customer service alongside the clinical, commercial and community success of the store.

The team at Specsavers Weston Favell are also celebrating colleague, Emel Manea, who has been shortlisted for the inaugural Jubilee Vision Award. A new category for 2022, it celebrates individuals who are students or trainees embarking on a career in optics who have been working within a retail optical environment for no more than two years.

The stores are run by three directors, Jude Edwards, Mukesh Patel and Mitesh Bhudia, who are supported by a team of 78 members of staff.

‘We’re absolutely over the moon that both stores and our colleague, Emel have been shortlisted. It is an amazing achievement to make it through to the final,’ says Mukesh Patel, store director at Specsavers Northampton, Specsavers Weston Favell and Specsavers Weedon Road, ‘To be recognised in this way is testament to our wonderful team and their ongoing support and commitment – I feel incredibly humble to work with them all.’

Specsavers Northampton is no stranger to the Awards having won the COVID Heroes Team Award last year, created to honour exemplary dedication to continuing to provide first class eye care during the pandemic. But for the Weston Favell store, which only launched last year, being shortlisted is an incredible accolade after only a year of trading.

‘It is a real privilege to have made it through as finalists, but it will be tough competition on the night though,’ adds Jude Edwards. ‘There are six opticians in total in our category, three of which are other Specsavers stores – so we are in good company. We welcome the healthy rivalry! No matter what the outcome on the night we will celebrate the fact that Specsavers features so strongly.’

For The Jubilee Vision Award entry, Emel was asked to detail how she would like her career to develop over the next ten years as well as her blueprint for how the optical profession and business should develop. Commenting on the process and reflecting on her time at Specsavers so far Emel says: ‘It was important for me to write from the heart because from my experience so far it illustrates that optics needs to have people at its heart. The customer experience matters so much, and I’ve learnt first-hand from my colleagues that personalising it makes such a difference.

‘I’m looking forward to learning more. I have my sights set on becoming a dispensing optician one day. I hope, too, that the future of the industry becomes even more diverse and inclusive.’ concludes Emel. ‘

The winners will be announced and presented with trophies at a glittering black-tie dinner and celebration at The Hilton, Park Lane, London on 30 November.