From 0 to 200 in 18 months

Tuesday 20th October 2009, 2:30PM BST.

The ribbon is cut in Hurtsville, NSW, to open Specsavers’ 200th store down under. From the left are: Doug Perkins, Cafa Huynh, Matthew Edwards and Dame Mary Perkins. (0855960)

IT HAS taken Specsavers just 18 months to open 200 stores down under.

Co-founders Dame Mary Perkins and Doug Perkins officially opened the company’s 200th Australasian store together in Hurtsville, New South Wales.

‘It almost seems impossible to comprehend that this is the 200th New Zealand and Australian store already,’ said Dame Mary.

‘We opened our first New Zealand practice in November of last year and our first Australian one only a few months before, at the end of February 2008.

‘To be standing here opening the 200th practice is undoubtedly one of our very greatest achievements in 25 years of Specsavers.’

The company’s first store down under was opened in Melbourne and Mr Perkins now spends most of his time overseeing the new store openings on the other side of the world.