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March 1999 saw the merger of two of Scotland's oldest and best known firms of opticians to form Black & Lizars. But where did it all begin?
Lizars
John Lizars, the founder of Lizars was born in 1810 in Berwick-upon-Tweed. At the age of twenty he opened his first practice at 12 Glassford Street in Glasgow's Merchant City, which at the time was the centre of Glasgow commerce. Lizars Opticians remained in that location for some sixty years.
Renowned for optometry and spectacles, Lizars became a Glasgow institution. As well as the optical side of the business, John Lizars developed an instrument and lenses division, with an unequalled reputation for photography and scientific instruments. Illustrated catalogues from the period suggest he also manufactured and sold microscopes and telescopes.
John died in 1879 having built a sizeable business. In 1892 John's youngest daughter Julie married Matthew Ballantine who took over the running of the company. He was a shrewd and clever businessman and under his stewardship the company prospered. This dynasty has endured through four generations to Geoffrey Ballantine who is now Joint Chief Executive of Black & Lizars.
In 1892 Lizars moved to 101 Buchanan Street, where Black & Lizars' flagship store can still be found today. From the 1880s expansion took place which led to other practices throughout Scotland and two in Belfast. Despite the troubles in Northern Ireland the Irish connection is still going strong. Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Paisley, Greenock and Motherwell all boast branches of Scotland's oldest optical firm. For a short time Lizars also owned practices in Liverpool and London, and Lizars Cape Town was planned but was aborted due to the arrival of the Boer War!
With a far reaching reputation for quality, old-fashioned courtesy and reliability, Lizars has been a favourite choice of Scottish and Irish patients for more than 170 years.
C. Jeffrey Black
During the Second World War, a young apprentice in Barr & Stroud, Oscar Black, decided to train to become an optician. After studying at night school for six years the young Oscar found himself a job as an optician with - guess who? - Lizars of Buchanan Street. Soon afterwards, the practice of Mr Yates Brown in Shettleston became available, was bought by Oscar and OD Black Opticians was established. Times were very difficult - it was 1946 and Glasgow was struggling to return to normal after the war. OD Black prospered on the good, old fashioned values of personal service and dedication to detail which was rarely found then, and even less now.
Oscar and Betty's son Colin arrived at the City University in London in 1968 to study optometry and on his first day struck up a friendship with co-student Shereef Taher. On graduating in 1973, Colin and Shereef came back to Glasgow where Colin started a tiny practice in Pollokshields, "C Jeffrey Black", and Shereef found a job with - guess who? - Lizars of Buchanan Street! A short time later he joined Colin in C Jeffrey Black and their friendship and partnership has endured for over thirty years. Colin is now Chairman of Black & Lizars and Shereef is a Director of the company
C Jeffrey Black grew steadily and new practices were added to the group as they embraced the new developments in contact lenses, testing equipment and examination techniques. Peter Ivins joined the Milngavie branch of the company in 1979 and is now Joint Chief Executive with Geoffrey Ballantine. He was followed in 1980 by fellow director Hal Rollason who went to Shettleston to work with Oscar. The board was completed in 1998 with the addition of Elena Amosso as Operations & Marketing Director and Linsey Williams as Financial Director. Before the merger with Lizars, C Jeffrey Black comprised 14 branches throughout Scotland, employing around 120 people and looking after some 35 000 patients' eyes annually.
Black & Lizars
The directors of both Lizars and C Jeffrey Black recognised the arrival of big business in optics and realised that to compete and continue to offer the quality and value for which both firms were famous a merger seemed very appropriate. It was quickly obvious that the thinking and aspirations of both firms were almost identical. On the 8th March 1999 Black & Lizars became a reality.
The new firm now has 25 branches, 255 employees and a state-of-the-art head office and manufacturing plant in the regenerated Govan area of Glasgow. It has developed into a multi-faceted business, aiming to be the choice of the discerning patient by offering the very latest technology and fashion without abandoning the basic but important precepts of service, quality and value.
The photographic departments are to be found within the Black & Lizars practices in Glasgow (Buchanan Street), Edinburgh (Shandwick Place), Aberdeen (Belmont Street) and Greenock (West Blackhall Street), and in a stand-alone store in Wellington Place in Belfast.
In this new Millennium, Black & Lizars looks forward to reinforcing its position as "the thinking patient's" choice. We think John Lizars would be proud!
Colin Black