A chain of opticians in Birmingham has expanded after securing a new £1.4 million funding package.
Family-run The Eye Collective has opened new practices in Hall Green, West Heath and Wythall after receiving a loan from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.
The new practices will provide optical services for more than 5,000 people in their areas each year and create three new jobs.
The ten-year-old company has acquired the trio of sites from the Pabari Group and they join The Eye Collective's other sites in Birmingham city centre, Harborne, Northfield, Rubery, Selly Oak and Stourbridge.
Founder and managing director Hasanain Jaffer said: "Over the last two years, we've experienced a surge in demand thanks to word-of-mouth recommendations.
"We felt the time was right to expand and broaden our outreach to more people across the West Midlands."
Jason Farren, business development manager in the healthcare team at Lloyds Bank, added: "The Eye Collective's expansion shows the increasing demand for independent optician care, despite the dominance of big chains on the high street.
"Hasanain's teams provide outstanding optical care and personalised service across their communities and this is undoubtedly part of the reason they've been able to grow so successfully in a challenging marketplace."
