OPTICAL retailer Wilkie & Rider was set up in 1956 by Sian and Willis Wilkie’s grandfather. The business stayed open during the coronavirus lockdown in March to take pressure off the NHS.
Name(s): Sian and Willis Wilkie
Position: Managing director and senior optometrist
WHAT’S THE BUSINESS CALLED?
Wilkie & Rider
WHERE IS IT BASED?
Dumbarton and Alexandria
WHY DID YOU SET UP THE BUSINESS?
THE business started in 1923 as a jewellers, watchmakers and opticians as Hudson’s. It was bought by my grandfather, William Wilkie, in 1956. He operated as an optician and rented space to a watchmaker/ jeweller, Bill Ferguson. When he wanted to leave in 1968, we employed one of his watchmakers, Gordon Rider, and my granny Jean Wilkie ran the jewellery. A partnership was formed for that side of the business and two separate strands Wilkie Opticians and Wilkie & Rider jewellers then ran in parallel. After my Dad joined the business in 1976, Gordon left to set up on his own. Thereafter, the two businesses became one as we were all family.
I grew up in the business and it had never occurred to me that my own career lay within it. I fell into it when my dad asked me to lend a hand with marketing its services to existing and prospective patients. Quickly, I realised there was a lot of opportunity to get involved in driving forward in lots of different areas of the business. That was seven years ago.
My brother, Willis, first gained work experience as a trainee mechanic in a haulage company owned by a friend of our dad. Later, having helped out in the practice, he chose to study optometry at Glasgow Caledonian University, and qualified as an optician in 2010. He worked for one of the big multiples for a few years, gaining huge amounts of experience with hundreds of patients, before deciding to join the family business in 2015.
WHAT IS THE TARGET MARKET?
AS opticians and jewellers we offer personalised eyecare, ortho care lenses and a range of designer brands where we have local exclusivity. We also service and repair watches and sell fine jewellery items. Our USP is that we are local and have operated in the area for decades, long before the several high street chains were formed. This gives us a special place in the affections of local people who can see that three generations of Wilkies have been dedicated to their eyecare. Our target market is the good people of Dumbarton and Alexandria as well as those from further afield, including Glasgow, Killearn, Balloch and Helensburgh. A good portion of our customers and patients includes those who grew up around here.
HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM COMPETING BUSINESSES?
OUR biggest focus is providing the best eyecare possible to our community and customers. As independent opticians we strive to bring the best quality products and newest technology to our practices. All our eye examinations are optician-led, ensuring the customer feels they are receiving the best possible care. We are also a jeweller which means our business is a mix of two different industries which have some surprising similarities.
We stayed at our posts throughout the Covid-19 crisis not only to serve our West Dunbartonshire community but also to help key NHS workers carry on the fight against the virus. We were one of the few firms of eyecare specialists which kept our doors open over the course of the pandemic and made sure that both practices were available at regular hours since the lockdown began in March. While we were unable to perform eye tests or eyecare procedures because of operate-at-distance protocols, we were able to triage patients by telephone, repair spectacle frames, provide replacements, make deliveries, and institute emergency referrals. One of our priorities was to take some of the pressure off the NHS and we are continuing to try to do that.
WHERE DO YOU HOPE THE BUSINESS WILL BE IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS?
MY ambitions are quite simple: to provide the public in our locality with one of the best health care experiences available while at the same time offering them stylish, sophisticated eyewear and jewellery products which satisfy their needs. Being attuned to the needs of the local market is essential. If this means, for example, home visits to provide the high standards of eyecare we set ourselves then this is what we will do. Our priorities are to maintain and steadily enhance our reputation for focusing on patients’ health not least as a means of diagnosing issues before they manifest themselves as major problems. This involves using sophisticated technology to make sure that all is well at the back of the eye as well as with patients’ vision. Honesty, service and professional responsibility are our guiding principles.
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