Our partnership with Specsavers is bringing dignity, support and clear vision to vendors

It’s a bright but bracing spring morning in Cavendish Square off Oxford Street in Central London, one of the busiest shopping streets in the world. It is already humming with activity as people – workers, locals, tourists – go about their business. Big Issue vendor Paul Logan is already at work, and we’re chatting about how vital good eyesight is to his day-to-day business.

“I noticed over the years that my vision was not what it used to be when I was younger. When Specsavers and Big Issue partnered up and offered this service, it was a great advantage, because it’s not something I would have gone out of my way to do by myself.”

The service Paul refers to is the partnership between Specsavers and Big Issue, established in 2022, which provides free and easy-to-access eye tests, OCT scans, prescription glasses, ear health checks and earwax removal to vendors across the UK – a straightforward solution that removes barriers to essential healthcare for those who need it most.

And it’s especially important in Paul’s job, as he is a pivotal point of support for other Big Issue vendors. Outside a coffee shop just off the main square, a stack of magazines in his trusty trolley, he’s the first port of call for vendors in the area. Throughout the morning Big Issue vendors come and go, collecting their magazines. Some stop to chat, others are keen to get back to their pitch. For most, Paul is clearly a familiar face – a constant in often unpredictable lives.

“I’ve been with Big Issue for 20 years now,” Paul says. “I originally got involved through the hostel I was staying in when I was living on the streets. They were advertising for vendors, and I got set up right there on the spot.”

What many don’t realise about Big Issue vendors is that, like the optometrists and audiologists that own and run their local Specsavers stores, each vendor is also running their own business. “There’s a fair degree of ignorance as to how Big Issue exactly operates,” says Paul. “A lot of people think the magazine is given to us for free. We have to buy them. In effect, we’re self-employed, running our own businesses.”

That’s why the term ‘franchisee’, as Paul happily describes himself, is so applicable. At Big Issue our franchisees are vendors who, in addition to selling copies of the magazine themselves on their own pitches, also distribute to other vendors as a central sales point.

Big Issue vendors operate as independent micro-entrepreneurs, buying copies of the magazine at a set wholesale price of £2 and selling them at £4, keeping the profit. This model allows vendors to earn an income while developing business skills such as budgeting, sales and customer service. It’s a model that resonates with Specsavers, whose stores are also independently owned and operated. Both organisations are familiar sights on high streets – valuable members of local communities in the UK and beyond.

For Paul, who supports other vendors collecting their magazines six days a week (“I could make more just selling the magazine myself, but it’s my way of giving back to Big Issue,” he says), our Specsavers partnership has made a tangible difference.

He has bifocals now, glasses that allow him to focus on close objects like magazines, loose change and his phone, which doubles as a card reader for cashless transactions, and also on things further away – potential customers or vendors coming to pick up their next load of magazines. They’re his first ever pair of glasses.

“It was a little confusing at first. It was giving me a sense of dizziness before I got used to them,” he laughs. “But it has definitely made a difference, a very positive difference.”

The impact of the Specsavers partnership extends beyond the practical provision of glasses. It’s about dignity and being treated with respect, regardless of circumstances.

“I mean, to be completely honest with you, given that I wasn’t a paying customer – we had these vouchers for the free eye test and free glasses – I wasn’t treated any lesser of a customer than if I would have been paying,” Paul recalls.

“I walked in the door looking like a Big Issue seller, not dressed in my finest, but they made me feel welcome. They were very professional, warm, and friendly. I couldn’t rate them higher for the service they gave.”

On an average day, Paul serves between 15 and 20 vendors at his distribution point. Much like any business, reliability is crucial. “They come to rely on you being there every day at a certain time,” he explains. “If they can’t rely on you, at some point, you’re going to lose customers. And if you lose them, it’s much harder to try and win them back than it is to win over a new customer in the first place.”

The partnership between Specsavers and Big Issue continues to grow, bringing essential healthcare to those who may not otherwise be able to afford it or know how to access it. It’s a collaboration built on shared values of community service and entrepreneurship – recognising that everyone deserves both dignity and clear vision for their future.

Specsavers are sponsoring a section of this week’s Big Issue dedicated to health. Find your nearest vendor or buy a copy online to read more. Learn more about how Specsavers are improving access to eye care: https://www.specsavers.co.uk/about/charitable-partnerships/homelessness