Myers La Roche at 100% Optical

The past few years have illustrated the resilience of the profession to recessions and unprecedented situations, Georgina Myers, director of Myers La Roche, told OT.

Speaking at 100% Optical, Myers described how the independent sector had bounced back from the pandemic, but cautioned that there may be a slow-down to come.

“It’s hard to know if that’s linked with COVID-19 itself, as in the two-year recall cycle, or if people are concerned about the potential economic climate going forwards, which is quite an unknown,” she said, adding that customers can be uncertain.

Highlighting the importance of planning and preparation, Myers said: “The key to the recovery is being aware that there are potential future risks to the market, however being proactive and flexible will ensure and allow you a future within your business.”

Myers La Roche has noted a “huge amount of interest” from practices considering going private.

The company has launched a new resource, the Going Private Roadmap, to help practice owners decide the right path for them.

“We just have to be really careful that people are taking the right advice to do that,” she emphasised.

With a great deal of acquisitions in the independent practice space over the past year, Myers advised that practice owners should be aware of their options when considering selling.

“It’s really important that people are aware there is more than one direction to sell their business, getting that independent advice is really key,” she added.