David Haydon and Ocula Group director Danielle Winstone

Ocula Group has bought Haydon Optometrists in Takapuna on Auckland’s North Shore. It is the group’s second landing in Tāmaki Makaurau, following last year’s acquisition of Remuera’s Gates Eyewear.

Danielle Winstone, Ocula founder and director, said while the group is not on an “acquisition warpath”, they do look for opportunities where a practice's value and position in the market align with Ocula, ensuring a seamless integration. “When the right practice comes up for sale and they align well with us, then the magic happens. David Haydon (former owner and principal optometrist of Haydon’s) comes with a lifetime of experience and knowledge and we’re very excited that he and the whole team have decided to come on the journey with us.”

Haydon, who bought the practice from Roy Swannack in 1983 (it was established in the late 1950s), is staying on for 12 months, after which he said he is keen for the change retirement brings. “I’m looking forward to spending more time outdoors, in the garden or on a beach. I’m also looking forward to doing grandfather things – our first grandchild is due in September.”

The brand Haydon’s will live on, Winstone said. “We find that with every practice we've bought the name has such an entrenched history with the community, so it's one of those things that we don't change unless we have to.

“Our ethos is very much trying to keep independent community-based eyecare, so the one thing we don't want to be perceived as is change,” she said. “When we started using Ocula, a lot of clients were saying, ‘Oh, OK, so you're a chain store now?’. That goes against the very heart of what we're trying to achieve, even though there are lots of benefits, particularly economies of scale, to having one brand,” she said.

“The practices we are buying are successful, there's no need to come in and try and revolutionise them,” Winstone said, adding the backend is where the change happens, where everything from marketing to accounts is elevated.

Winstone said they are keen to make further acquisitions in New Zealand’s metropolitan centres. “We do have regional practices, but regardless of what the market is doing, the recruitment is always difficult. So, we've learnt our lesson,” she said.

A registered, non-practising optometrist, Winstone said she is now fully dedicated to running the business and focused on growth and the strategic direction of the company. “I'm very proud of the fact that I am the only optometrist owner of a group of independent practices this large in Australasia (seven practices) and one of only a few female owners. The rest are corporate. I'm an optometrist at heart – that's where I started, so that definitely guides the decisions we make in our company,” she said.