Groovy grans give North End shoppers a surpriseÂ

Specsavers opened a store in the former HSBC unit in London Road in February. Now the store is fully operational, and to promote its services, the team laid on some entertainment earlier this month. 

It was also celebrating as its staff completed the RNIB Ambassador training, devised by Specsavers and the Royal National Institute of Blind People, to train non-clinical staff in eye health. 

A comedy group of three '˜elderly' women '“ who go by the name of The Dancing Grannies '“ put on a surprise performance of in-sync dance moves to Bhangra music and Gangnam Style.

Store director Julia Moulton said: '˜What better way to make a statement than by having three grannies put on an amazing dance show. 

'˜Shoppers really enjoyed it, taking lots of photographs and videos with their smart phones. It was a fun way to shout about our store.' 

Staff were also giving out free eye test vouchers. 

Julia said: '˜The Dancing Grannies put a smile on people's faces and brought some fun, but it also gave us an opportunity talk about the importance of getting your vision regularly checked. If you haven't had your eyes tested in a while, we recommend you see us every two years.' 

The company took six weeks to transform the former bank into a Specsavers store, and it spent around £250,000. It created jobs for eight people, including an optometrist, an audiologist, a dispensing optician, store manager, assistant manager, an apprentice and two part-time assistants. 

The store includes state-of-the art diagnostic equipment and three testing rooms. Specsavers also has stores in Palmerston Road, Southsea and Commercial Road, Portsmouth.