Oxford opticians closed down four years after national takeover

Bayfields Opticians and Audiologists shut down its Headington branch on London Road over the weekend.

A statement on its website says: “Our Headington location is now permanently closed. Client care and records will transfer to our Thame practice.”

It is not clear whether staff at this branch have been made redundant or indeed why the opticians has been closed.

Bayfields has not responded to our request for comment.

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Bayfields Opticians in Headington is understood to have begun operating under the Bayfields name in 2022, after Bayfields acquired the existing Robert Stanley Opticians business.

Robert Stanley Opticians is an independent eye care provider founded in Oxfordshire in 1953.

The 2022 acquisition involved Robert Stanley’s practices in Abingdon, Bicester, Headington, Thame and Wallingford.

Robert Stanley co-owner Jerry Salmon was the original founder Donald Salmon’s son

Companies House records show Bayfields Z Ltd became the controlling company in March 2022, and the acquisition was publicly reported in June 2022.

The Headington branch regularly enjoyed positive reviews, earning a 4.3 star rating by Google.

But the most recent review by Naqeeb Hussain, just two weeks ago, slammed his “very disappointing” experience and gave it just one star.

He took issue with the “poor customer service” which left him “very disappointed”.