Specsavers co-founder honoured

Co-founder and chair of Specsavers Doug Perkins has been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for his services to business and trade, in this year’s Kings Birthday Honours List.

Formed by Perkins and his wife Dame Mary in 1984, Specsavers is now the largest private eye and hearing care provider in the world, widely recognised for its unique approach to marketing and ‘Should’ve Gone to Specsavers’ strapline.

As well as an innovative approach to pricing and advertising, Perkins applied a pioneering joint-venture partnership model to the optical industry, Specsavers said. “Each Specsavers business, which now number more than 1,000 in the UK alone, is part-owned and managed by its own directors, who are shareholders, supported by a comprehensive supply chain and specialists in various support offices, providing services such as marketing, accounting and IT.”

Perkins has always been involved with the day-to-day running of the business and is passionate about innovation and clinical excellence, Specsavers said. “Spearheading the rollout of OCT scanners in all stores, he continues to champion the role optometrists and audiologists play in supporting the NHS and delivering healthcare in the community.”

"I can’t tell you how honoured I feel to receive this award for services to business as I have dedicated my entire career to helping people to see and hear more clearly,” said Perkins. “More importantly, this is recognition for the 45,000 people around the world who work for Specsavers and for our ophthalmic surgery business Newmedica* and their dedication to changing people’s lives through better sight and hearing,” he said.

Born in Llanelli, Wales, in 1943, Perkins qualified as an optometrist from Cardiff College of Advanced Technology in 1965 where he met Mary Bebbington. Together they founded Bebbington and Perkins Opticians, which they sold in 1980 before moving to the island of Guernsey to be closer to Mary’s parents. Perkins still goes into the Guernsey office every day and travels extensively to support business growth and the industry sector as a whole, Specsavers said.

The company was put into a family trust some years ago to ensure that it would continue to operate under the Perkins stewardship and prevent it being sold into private equity, Specsavers said. “It remains very much a family business, with son John Perkins as CEO and four of their seven grandchildren already very much involved in the organisation.”

*Acquired by Specsavers in 2020, Newmedica covers a wide range of ophthalmology services, including outpatients and surgery, adult, paediatric and neonatal ophthalmology at NHS and private hospitals and mobile clinics across England.