Winner Bayfields has sights on expansion

OPTICAL entrepreneur Royston Bayfield, who is looking to make further acquisitions, has scooped a national business award.

Mr Bayfield, managing director of Leeds-based Bayfields Opticians, saw off 300 other companies to take the ActionCOACH prize at Reading’s Wokefield Park Hotel.

The 31-year-old businessman and optometrist, who has practices on Yeadon High Street, Otley Road in Headingley and on Leeds University’s campus, bought his first practice in 2004, Headingley in 2006 and the one in Yeadon – formerly Kathryn Stott’s – in August 2009. He now has 23 staff.

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The company’s turnover is around £1.5m. Mr Bayfield said turnover has doubled over the last five years. In the first year of taking on each outlet, Mr Bayfield has grown the patient base of each by 30 per cent, and the average number of patients across the group by 10 per cent year on year since his first purchase. The group now has 21,000 patients across its three practices.

Mr Bayfield said: “ActionCOACH was started by Australian millionaire, Brad Sugars, and is one of the most respected business brands in the world so, to take the UK title, is absolutely fantastic.” Entrants were judged by a panel of independent judges who assessed growth, revenues, profits and the entrant’s impact on both its sector and local community.

The awards are designed to honour the ‘best of the best’ in small and medium-sized businesses from around the world.

“I remain on the acquisition trail and our aim is to have six practices by the end of this year and 20 by the end of 2020. This award is not only public recognition, but reinforces in-house motivation among the entire team, which can only be good for our longer term ambitions. I am merely an ambassador for their hard work,” added Mr Bayfield.

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