TWO directors are celebrating 25 years as business partners of a local opticians, helping care for the community’s eye and ear health.
Kevin McCarthy and Sam Hodson, both 52, became directors of Specsavers Carmarthen in 1998. Originally from East Wales, they relocated to Carmarthen when they acquired the store.
Now, the store employs 20 members of staff and has doubled the number of customers they see every week.
In 2017, after almost 30 years on Hall Street, the store relocated to Merlin’s Walk shopping centre. The move saw them expand their offering to include audiology services as well as doubling the number of test rooms to six.
Mr McCarthy says: ‘We have seen massive developments since we moved to Carmarthen in 1998, and a lot of that is due to the relocation six years ago. It’s hard to believe that it has been 25 years since we took over the Carmarthen store but we’re incredibly proud of what has been achieved in that time.’
‘Since the relocation, we have probably increased the business by 60 or 70 per cent and we are excited to continue that growth.’
The optical duo, who first met in 1996, also head up the Ammanford store which they opened in March 2005.
Mr Hodson, co-director, says: ‘Kev and I have had a great time over the last 25 years, and that is largely due to the incredible teams that we have around us. They work so hard every day to provide the best possible care to the local communities in both Carmarthen and Ammanford.’
