ADVERTISING - Opticians Association of Canada

| Feature |26%74%ALBERTA TOTAL : 53023%77%BRITISH COLUMBIA TOTAL : 75977%23%MANITOBA TOTAL : 15227%73%NEW BRUNSWICK TOTAL : 13270%Grimard OpticiensIt was the need for a challenge that prompted RobertGrimard to expand his practice to four stores.“I operated one store in Montreal from 1980 to 2004.There were three factors that influenced my decision toexpand: one was the fact that my son was studying opticianryand seemed to like the business, the second was myobservation that chain stores were taking more market share,and the third was that I was getting bored. I wanted to growmy business and build on my success rather than just standstill.Three years later, Grimard has three stores in Montrealand one in St-Sauveur, Quebec.The fact that there are many opticians in private practicegetting ready to retire has helped Grimard. “Over three yearsI bought five existing stores. I closed two of them and mergedthem with existing stores. This meant there was less competitionin the area and of course I saved money by cutting downon expenses.”Grimard found that he could often retain existing staff,who moved into the merged location and helped withcustomer continuity. “And existing staff often want to workless than they did in the past, so we had the option ofkeeping the person, retaining many of their customers andproviding better service in a larger location.” Moving ormerging a location can result in a client loss of from 20 – 50percent depending on the distance of the move, he adds.Each store under the Grimard Opticiens banner does itsown purchasing, with about 75 percent of the framecollections consistent from store to store. All stores carry thesame lens selection. One store is in a medical clinic, so it hasa distinct clientele. All frames are chosen by the opticians tosuit their particular neighbourhood.Independent opticians need to find a niche and have anentrepreneurial spirit in order to succeed, says Grimard. “Youcannot serve everyone but there will always be a customerwho wants to be serviced by a professional they have cometo know in a personalized retail environment. I see lots ofopportunity for independents in this market but you have tobe a true entrepreneur. My goal is to offer business-partneringopportunities to those who work with me. That’s where I’mheaded over the next five years.”100%30%NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR TOTAL : 79NORTHWEST TERRITORIES TOTAL : 3NUNAVUT12VISION | jul_aug | 2007