New Chemist Warehouse-backed optometry venture Optometrist Warehouse has opened its first NSW store. Located in the Marketfair Campbelltown shopping centre, the practice is situated in a “diabetes hot spot”, fitting with the network’s aim to eliminate blindness associated with the disease.
The store is the second to open in Australia, accompanying the Optometrist Warehouse that opened on Glenferrie Road in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern in February 2023 to much fanfare.
The Marketfair store opened on 5 October 2023 with a three-day grand opening affair cutting across Optometrist Warehouse, Chemist Warehouse and Ultra Beauty.
Spanning 2000 sqm, joint managing director Mr Charles Hornor said the “three pillars” format ensured a broad health and wellness customer experience.
“The format directly connects the optometry team with its pharmacy peers to zero in on conditions where direct collaboration can make an immediate difference,” he said.
“For example, with diabetes, the pharmacy team has embraced reminding people with diabetes prescriptions of the need for a regular diabetes eye check and – if they choose to visit Optometrist Warehouse – they can do so while waiting to have their script filled.”
Hornor said that the Marketfair Optometrist Warehouse optimises patient outcomes through its holistic care model.
“Sharing case reports directly with the pharmacists, our optometrists are already demonstrating the impact that this sort of intervention is delivering, with significant sight-saving disease detection and referral to local ophthalmology,” he said.
“This creates an enhanced patient experience, especially for those whose conditions may have been missed or undetected, as well as a broader involvement in holistic care for the pharmacist and optometrists involved.”
According to Hornor, the Campbelltown location was chosen due to the high prevalence of diabetes in this demographic.
“As a diabetes hot-spot, Campbelltown was a targeted choice for Sydney’s first Optometrist Warehouse. While our business purpose is to connect optometrists with pharmacists and other health professionals to deliver better health outcomes, our core mission is to work together to eliminate diabetes as the leading cause of avoidable blindness in each community we serve,” Hornor said.
“In our first two weeks we have tested multiple people with diabetes who appear to have slipped through the eye care cracks, so we are already seeing the benefits of the model in action, which is rewarding for all involved.”
Hornor said the public has responded well to the comprehensive retail model.
“The response has been very strong with busy days from day one onwards, and great feedback regarding not just our advanced clinical technology and the comprehensive nature of our eye exams, but also for our all-inclusive retail model,” he said.
As for additional store openings in future, Hornor said “there are more to come” and Optometrist Warehouse will update the market as these eventuate.
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