Dollond & Aitchison was one of the oldest chains of retail

optician An optician, or ''dispensing optician'', is a technical practitioner who designs, fits and dispenses lenses for the correction of a person's vision. Opticians determine the specifications of various ophthalmic appliances that will give the nec ...

s in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, having been established in 1750. The business was absorbed into

Boots Opticians Boots Opticians Ltd. operates a chain of ophthalmic and dispensing optician stores in the United Kingdom. The company is a subsidiary of Walgreens Boots Alliance (58%) and De Rigo (42%). History The company began trading in the British optical ...

in 2009 and stores were rebranded under the Boots Opticians name, completed in 2015.

History

On 21 April 1750,

Peter Dollond Peter Dollond (24 February 1731 – 2 July 1820) was an English maker of optical instruments, the son of John Dollond. He is known for his successful optics business, and for the invention of the apochromat. Biography Dollond was born in Kensing ...

opened a small optical business in Vine Street, near

Hatton Garden Hatton Garden is a street and commercial zone in the Holborn district of the London Borough of Camden, abutting the narrow precinct of Saffron Hill which then abuts the City of London. It takes its name from Sir Christopher Hatton, a favourit ...

in London. He was joined by his father,

John Dollond John Dollond FRS (10 June O.S. (21 June N.S.) 170630 November 1761) was an English optician, known for his successful optics business and his patenting and commercialization of achromatic doublets. Biography Dollond was the son of a Hugue ...

, in 1752. The Dollonds became notable for the quality of their optical products. In 1761 John Dollond, now a partner in the business, was appointed optician to

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

and the

Duke of York and Albany Duke of York and Albany was a title of nobility in the Peerage of Great Britain. The title was created three times during the 18th century and was usually given to the second son of British monarchs. The predecessor titles in the English and S ...

. In 1781, Peter Dollond made bifocal spectacles. At

The Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition which took pl ...

1851 in London, the Dollonds were awarded a medal for the excellence of their optical instruments. In 1889, James Aitchison established his first business in Fleet Street. In 1927 ''Dollond & Co'' merged with ''Aitchison & Co'', to form ''Dollond & Aitchison'' (abbreviated ''D&A''). In 1969, the company moved to

Aston Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, England. Located immediately to the north-east of Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a ward within the metropolitan authority. It is approximately 1.5 miles from Birmingham City Centre. History Aston wa ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. During the 1960s, Dollond & Aitchison was a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...

of the former

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

television company

Television Wales and West Television Wales and the West (TWW) was the British ITV (TV network), Independent Television (commercial television) contractor for a franchise area that initially served South Wales and West of England (franchise awarded 26 October 1956, starte ...

. From 1970 until 1982, D&A were successful in a series of acquisitions in the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy. In 1994, however, management buy-outs of the UK, Spanish and Italian companies took place. In the 1990s, D&A launched a number of services for customers such as, in 1996, the introduction of computer analysis for eyesight. The company ran a series of adverts in the 1990s featuring screen actor

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

to promote the service. Voiced b
Actor Tony Clarkin
They launched their website in 1997 and in 1998 began a "contact lenses by post" scheme. The Italian frame manufacturer De Rigo purchased D&A in 1999 for around 50 million pounds. In 2001, D&A sold its manufacturing arm to BBGR. In the same year, restructuring of the company took place, consisting of the three wholly owned subsidiaries and holding company. On 29 January 2009, it was announced that

were to merge with D&A, forming a chain of 690 stores and 5,000 staff after Boots purchased a controlling share in D&A. The company had denied several months previously that it was in financial trouble.

Market share

Dollond & Aitchison were Royal Warrant holders and supplied glasses to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

References

Literature

* Hugh Barty-King. ''Eyes Right: the story of Dollond & Aitchison opticians 1750-1985''. Quiller Press (1986).

External links

*
Dollond & Aitchison Official WebsiteBoots Opticians at De Rigo's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dollond And Aitchison Eyewear companies of the United Kingdom British companies established in 1750 Retail companies established in 1750 British companies disestablished in 2015 Retail companies disestablished in 2015 Eyewear retailers of the United Kingdom British Royal Warrant holders Companies based in Birmingham, West Midlands 1750 establishments in England 2015 disestablishments in England