Specsavers Dagenham Heathway store director Gurjit Singh Sehmi is celebrating 15 years of serving the community.
To mark the milestone, Gurjit is reflecting on how the store has grown and evolved since he became director in 2010.
Gurjit says: ‘It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years since I became director at Specsavers Dagenham. I’m incredibly proud of how far we’ve come in that time.
‘When I first started, we were a two-consulting-rooms store. In 2014, we relocated to a much larger unit as our original premises had become too restrictive for our growing business. We now have six consulting rooms and state-of-the-art equipment, allowing us to support more customers than ever before.’
Over the past 15 years, the Dagenham store has consistently delivered high standards of care, earning internal awards in recognition of its service. Gurjit has also focused on nurturing local talent, recruiting team members from the community and supporting them in developing successful careers.
Gurjit adds: ‘I’ve had the privilege of training many optometrists, managers and dispensing opticians during my time as partner. Seeing people join us and then flourish in their careers is one of the most rewarding parts of my role.’
Alongside his work in store, Gurjit has been involved in charitable initiatives in the UK and overseas. In 2014, he travelled to India to help train local optometrists at a charity-run eye hospital in New Delhi. More recently, he supported a project providing glasses for people experiencing homelessness, ensuring spectacles were made at the Dagenham store and personally delivering them to a nearby homeless centre.
As a qualified and experienced optometrist, Gurjit has helped to detect a range of serious health conditions through routine eye examinations, in some cases saving customers’ sight and even their lives.
‘Building long-term relationships with our customers is incredibly important to me. Many of them have been with us for years and some even travel back to see me if they’ve moved out of the area. That trust means everything.’
Gurjit also speaks multiple languages, enabling him to communicate effectively with customers from a wide range of backgrounds and ensuring they feel comfortable and understood during their visit.
‘We’re a locally owned and run store, and that connection to our community is at the heart of everything we do,” he adds. “I’m so grateful to our wonderful customers for their continued support over the past 15 years, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for us here in Dagenham.’
For more information about the services available at Specsavers Dagenham Heathway or to book an appointment, call the store on 020 8596 9998 or visit https://www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/dagenham
