Independent London-based eyecare specialist Eye Emporium will open its latest store at Southside Shopping Centre in Wandsworth on 11 May. It is the third recent opening after discount store, Poundland, upsized into a more prominent location and high-street slime store, Gootopia, relocated to a permanent unit following its remarkable pop-up success at the centre over the past year.
The new 1,169sq ft opticians will be the brand’s 13th store. With previous locations in East and West London, the opening at Wandsworth marks their first offering in the South of the city, and its first within a shopping centre.
Founded in 1982 by optometrist Salim Juma, Eye Emporium’s ethos is to look after the community’s eyes, with a focus on examining the whole family.
The new store at Southside boasts three examination rooms and an auditory testing space, providing a full personalised visual profiling service for guests of any age, OCT scans, myopia control as well as ear wax removal and hearing aid fitting. The store will stock a wide range of high street and premium brands including Hugo Boss and Ray-Ban, as well as exclusive eyewear brand VAVA.
To celebrate the opening, Eye Emporium will be hosting a launch event on Saturday 11th May, where shoppers will be able to receive free eye tests, as well as 20% off all glasses and sunglasses throughout the opening period.* An illustrator will also be instore creating eye-catching portraits for customers to take home with them on the day.
Salim Juma, Founder of Eye Emporium, commented: “I’m delighted to welcome the community of Wandsworth to our brand new store. If you’re looking for an independent opticians that can look after the whole family you’re in the right place. My family and I established Eye Emporium in the 1980s. We’re experts in our field and have been providing excellent eye care and audiology services for many generations. Pop in and say hi to our friendly team.”
In addition to Eye Emporium, slime store, Gootopia, has reopened at the centre following its relocation to a permanent unit. As winners of Southside’s Soapbox Challenge in 2023, where local independent businesses were invited to pitch their brand for the chance to win a short-term occupancy at the centre, Gootopia has had huge success at the centre, and is now open on the first floor next to Cineworld.
The 3,003 sq ft store features shelves of their popular ready-made slime, slime ingredients, activator, and their ‘goo-to-go’ slime vending machine. Gootopia will continue to host a range of exciting activities and experiences for kids of all ages in their two new party rooms and large workshop area, including one hour slime workshops, school science workshops, messy play sessions and slime & wine evenings. The new location will also offer food to guests, with speciality coffees and teas available alongside baked goods, pizza, and ice cream.
Chris Saville, Co-Founder of Slime Planet, commented: “We initially started Gootopia as a pop-up to test out our concept, and the response was overwhelmingly positive – kids absolutely loved it. With our new permanent location at Southside, we are excited to finally realise our vision of an incredibly playful space that kids and grown-ups will love. This includes amazing new spaces for workshops and parties, along with a fantastic selection of good quality food and drinks for both parents and kids. We believe our guests are going to absolutely love the new space and have the slime of their lives!”
British variety store Poundland also recently reopened at Southside following an upsize to a prominent location within the centre. The new 9,000 sq ft store features an even wider selection of products including a new homewares range alongside a full clothing department, general merchandise section, as well as chilled and frozen food.
Rebecca Ruddle, Centre Director at Southside, added: “It’s great to have such a variety of brands joining us and investing here at Southside. As a community shopping centre, we strive to offer our guests the best possible experience and are always looking for ways to diversify our offering, so we’re thrilled to welcome Eye Emporium to our retail lineup.
“With guest experience at the forefront of everything we do, we are continuing to invest to enhance Southside to ensure the centre continues to stand out as a great destination for all.”
*Terms apply. Valid until 11 June 2024. Get a free eye test with your glasses purchase and save 20% on glasses and sunglasses