Fashion-conscious glasses wearers will be able to get their hands on custom-made spectacles in less than half an hour at a new store in Newcastle city centre.
Pop Specs has opened as a large kiosk inside Eldon Square making trendy prescription glasses in just 20 minutes. The stall opened for the first time on Monday, August 14, and sits opposite Mango and the Apple store on St Andrews Way.
The brand said that customers can select their favourite styles and have their single-vision glasses made immediately for £75, with all frames coming equipped with anti-glare and scratch-resistant coated prescription lenses.
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The Newcastle store is the chain’s ninth outlet since launching in Manchester in May 2021 – with locations already in London, Chester, Sheffield, Milton Keynes and Lakeside.
Daniel Barnes, who has over 20 years of experience in the optical industry, founded the business along with Lina Tejoprayitno, a former financial analyst.
“We look forward to meeting Newcastle’s more adventurous glasses wearers and helping them to show their sense of style through their eyewear,” Daniel said.
“Shoppers can come along with their current prescription, chat to us about their style, pick the perfect frames and order their glasses. In nine out of 10 cases, they can then come back 20 minutes later to pick their glasses up and have them correctly fitted to the unique shape of their face.”
John Greenhalgh, regional manager of Pop Specs, added: “We’re really excited to be in Eldon Square and we have wanted to have a presence in Newcastle for a while. We are a new brand which wants to change the way people buy eyewear. The frames we have are very unique and are very different from what you would see at a normal opticians.”
Eldon Square told Chronicle Live that Pop Specs has signed a three-year lease on the stall.
A spokeswoman for the shopping centre said: “Pop Specs will provide customers with a secondary pair of fashionable and trendy prescription glasses within 20 minutes and their aim is to make something that can often be feared and daunting, into a fun, jovial, experience for customers.”