23 October 2025
Vision Express Gloucester has relocated to a new, larger, practice on the High Street, marking an “exciting” chapter in the practice’s 30 years in the city.
Patients were invited to join a celebration on 26 September to open the new practice, with an appearance from the historic town crier, Alan Myatt, along with the sheriff and deputy mayor, Councillor Linda Castle.
Attendees enjoyed music from a DJ as well as coffees and speeches.
The practice has moved from a shopping centre location with three testing rooms to a site on the High Street where the team can run four practice rooms – with space for another.
Saleem Patel, optometrist and director of Vision Express Gloucester, told OT: “The relocation meant we could have more testing rooms, and the latest state-of-the-art Essilor equipment."
The practice has been designed to Vision Express’ latest concept, which is free-flowing and open, to encourage visitors to take a “leisurely” look around, Patel said, with large media screens and interactive demos.
“We’re in a prominent location connecting the new university campus with the bus and train stations. There has been a lot of improvement in the area, there is a new Primark, a Starbucks, and a H&M,” Patel explained.
The result of the new location, paired with the new look for the practice, has seen a boost in footfall.
Patel highlighted a desire amongst consumers for an experience, something that he feels the new practice can provide.
“If I’m going to a restaurant or to buy shoes, I’ll go to places where I’ll get that attention to detail. I believe we’re in an era where everyone wants an experience. From the pre-test, to the eye test, visual fields, to glasses – people come from the perspective of wanting a top-class experience,” he said.
Collaboration in eye care
Patel highlighted the close working relationship of optometry and secondary care in Gloucester, with the practice involved in a variety of local eye health pathways.
“As a county, we are probably one of the best in the UK when it comes to our referral pathways and how we manage patients – we have the community ophthalmic link in Gloucester to access hospital notes – and we work closely with our peers in the hospital. I feel that is so important to make sure we’re delivering the best eye care,” he shared.
For the practice, Patel said, this means: “Our customers are getting the best of everything – not just on the retail side. The best of the eye care services, the referral systems, the eye care departments. The departments collaborate to bring that A-class service in our county.”
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Developing the team
As the practice celebrates the milestone relocation, Patel has reflected on his own journey in Gloucester – having completed his pre-registration in the practice 18 years ago.
After a period of owning an independent practice and locuming, Patel was offered the opportunity to become a director of the Vision Express Gloucester practice in 2018.
“I used to mop the floor as a pre-reg. I still mop the floor, but now I own it,” Patel told OT, adding with a laugh: “The graft never stops.”
“We’ve gone from strength-to-strength,” he said.
The relocation is a chance for the business to progress further, he said.
“I felt the previous practice was holding me back in trying to progress the business. We couldn’t see as many patients because we were restricted by the number of rooms we had,” Patel explained.
“We’ll now be able to serve more of Gloucester’s community and give the best eye care to the people of Gloucester,” he said.
The new beginning for the practice will also support Patel’s training ambitions for the team and future optometrists. Two pre-registration optometrists are already based in the practice.
Patel said: “I love taking on pre-regs because I feel like I’m giving something back to the profession. It’s my way of saying ‘thank you’ to optometry for giving me so much. I am completely invested in those students – I want them to do the best they can.”
Two optometrists and a dispensing optician have qualified in the last three years of the practice.
Patel explained: “I want to be able to develop my team. Everyone is so ambitious, and we need to unlock that potential in people. We will always pick out opportunities for every member of our team to be the best version of who they could be.”
Personally, Patel would like to take on the independent prescribing course as his next challenge – something he put on pause while the practice relocated.
A family focus
For now, though, Patel has had time to look back on the celebrations, which saw friends and family attend, including his wife and two children – the youngest of whom turned one on the opening day of the new practice.
“The kids were part of the memories. I look forward to sharing this with them in the near future,” he said.
Emphasising the ‘behind-the-scenes' support, Patel added: “I have to credit my wife, Zainab, who has been so supportive. She has supported my ideology of helping students, training, building the store, and relocation. It has made a big difference.”
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