Build something
of your own.
You've spent years making the optical world work, dispensing, fitting, running the floor, looking after customers like they were your own. You've built other people's businesses brilliantly. Now build one that's yours, with an established brand and a proven model behind you every step of the way.
A business of your own,
not on your own.
The optical world has a habit of overlooking its best people. Plenty of brilliant dispensing opticians, retail managers and floor leaders spend a whole career growing someone else's business, and never get the chance to own a piece of one.
We think that's backwards.
So we're opening IOLLA Joint Venture opportunities to driven people across the UK, handing over genuine ownership of a showroom in their own community. We're looking for real passion, great people skills and an entrepreneurial spirit.
The talent, you already have. We'll teach you the rest, and back you the whole way.
See what it's
all about.
Take a couple of minutes to hear what becoming an IOLLA Joint Venture Partner is really like, the good and the graft both, in our own words.
Our success
is your success.
A joint venture is for people who've always known they could run their own business, and want to do it with the backing of an established brand and model behind them. You genuinely share in the ownership and the decisions. We're in this together.
The brand behind you
- A brand and proposition proven to succeed in its existing regions
- Training and support across retail, marketing, business development and optics
- Local marketing toolkits and full operations manuals
- Design, manufacturing and supply of quality products
- National brand marketing and PR to grow your IOLLA venture
The drive to make it yours
- The ambition you've been waiting to put into something of your own
- A founder's instinct to hustle, spotting and chasing every chance to grow
- A love of people, and the knack for taking a team on the journey with you
From first hello
to opening day.
You won't be figuring it out alone. We walk every step of the way with you, from the first conversation to the day you open your doors, and well beyond. Just ask James & Meron, who did exactly that in Richmond.
Say hello
Apply and tell us your story. We'll send you our full JVP prospectus and arrange a confidential, no-pressure conversation about the opportunity.
Dig into the detail
We'll walk you through the financial pack and our model, and invite you to tour our head office and workshop to see exactly how IOLLA glasses are made.
Build your business plan
We work hand in hand with you to shape your business plan, agree your exclusive territory and map out the funding that's right for your situation.
Source & fit out your showroom
From finding the right property to shop-fitting it into a beautiful IOLLA space, we help you create somewhere your community will love to visit.
Train, launch & grow
We train you and your team, support a launch that gets your territory talking, and keep working alongside you to grow, marketing, operations, learning and more.
IOLLA, brought to life
where you live.
Our greatest marketing tool is word of mouth, delivering an experience so good that everyone talks about it. That's true, viral growth, and it starts locally. We help you launch strongly and share best practice with you and your team.
Ongoing local marketing and PR is core to how IOLLA grows. It's why we've built local ownership right into the heart of the Joint Venture, so someone who truly cares about the area is the one driving it forward. That someone could be you.
Don't just take our
word for it.
Where we're
opening next.
We're actively looking for Joint Venture Partners to open and own IOLLA showrooms in priority towns and cities across the UK and Ireland. If you're a dispensing optician, optometrist, retail manager or optical professional in one of these areas, and ready to run your own eyewear business, we'd love to hear from you.
Searching for an eyewear or optical business opportunity in Oxford, Bath, Bristol, Brighton, York, Belfast, London, Dublin, Exeter, Newcastle or Cheltenham? An IOLLA Joint Venture Partnership could be your route from working in optics to owning your own showroom. Don't see your area? We're always keen to hear from driven optical professionals right across the UK and Ireland, get in touch and tell us where you'd open.
Making it
achievable.
Ownership has to be real to mean anything, and that means some investment from you. The good news: there's more than one way in, and we'll help you find the route that fits.
Personal funds
Partners will need a liquid investment of at least £20,000 per region, with the remainder borrowed if required.
Bank loans
Lenders offer loans to venture owners, subject to criteria and collateral. We have relationships with leading UK banks who know our model.
Leasing
Certain equipment and shop-fitting can be leased. We partner with leading UK leasing companies who are familiar with our model.
You'll never be
on your own.
We work hand in hand with you through the whole process, helping with your business plan, sourcing a property, training you and your team, and launching your new venture.
And it doesn't stop at opening day. As a Director and co-owner, you'll have our ongoing support across marketing, retail operations, learning and development, and HR, for the long haul.
You've earned the chance to bet on yourself.
Ready to start
the conversation?
Get in touch and we'll send you our full JVP prospectus, with more on our brand and joint venture model. From there we can arrange a confidential discussion, talk through the financial pack, and invite you to tour our head office and workshop, we'd love to show you where our glasses are made.
Taking the time to research this properly matters, to make sure it's the right fit for your goals. Whatever you decide, we're here to support you through the journey.
Join us on our journey,
as a Joint Venture Partner.
Help bring IOLLA to communities right across the UK.