Tesco sells off opticians business

In the latest effort to trim unwanted fat from the business, Tesco has struck a deal to offload its opticians business to Vision Express for an undisclosed sum.

The supermarket group has an optician service in 206 of its larger stores, which will continue to operate but as a concession under the management of Vision Express.

Tesco's UK and Ireland chief executive Matt Davies said: "This allows us to further simplify and strengthen our UK business and ensures our customers are still able to enjoy high quality eye care services from Vision Express in our larger stores.

"Our priority now is to work with our colleagues and support them through this change."

The 1,500 or so staff employed within Tesco Opticians will all be transferred into Vision Express following a consultation process.

Non-core assets sold off since the start of last year include Dobbies Garden Centres, Harris + Hoole coffee shops and the Euphorium upmarket bakery, while last week's final results showed the FTSE 100 grocer had turned to cost cuts to boost profits.