There are certain moments when building a business that make you stop and realise how far an idea has come.
For me, seeing Burghley & Co featured in the Rutland & Stamford Mercury was one of those moments.
The article, “Stamford optician behind Burghley & Co flies high with easyJet”, tells the story of how a locally founded eyewear business has gone from an idea here in Stamford to appearing in front of travellers across the UK and Europe.
Starting Burghley & Co
I’m Scott Phippen, founder of Burghley & Co and a UK Registered Dispensing Optician.
I’ve worked in the optical industry for more than 20 years, and Burghley & Co grew from a fairly simple idea: buying glasses online should be convenient, but that shouldn’t mean losing access to genuine optical knowledge and personal support.
I wanted to create somewhere customers could discover designer eyewear, choose their prescription lenses online and still know there was an experienced optician behind the order.
Today, every prescription order placed with Burghley & Co is personally reviewed before the glasses are made.
From Stamford to a much bigger audience
Although Burghley & Co sells eyewear online across the UK, Stamford remains very much part of our story.
That made being featured by the Rutland & Stamford Mercury particularly special.
The newspaper covered our appearance in easyJet Traveller, where Burghley & Co is being introduced to millions of passengers travelling across the easyJet network.
For a young independent business, seeing the Burghley & Co name go from Stamford to an in-flight magazine is a milestone I’m incredibly proud of.
But the goal hasn’t changed.
It is still about making quality eyewear easier to buy online and giving customers straightforward advice when they need it.
Bringing an optician into online eyewear
There is no shortage of places to buy glasses online.
What I felt was missing was some of the reassurance people naturally get when buying from an experienced optical professional.
Prescriptions can be confusing. Lens options can be confusing. Even choosing the right frame for your prescription isn’t always as simple as picking the one you like the look of.
That’s why professional guidance sits behind Burghley & Co.
Customers can choose their frames first and send their prescription afterwards, and if they’re unsure about their lenses, frame choice or prescription, they can ask me directly.
It combines the convenience and choice of shopping online with some of the personal support you would expect from an independent optical business.
A milestone — and we’re only getting started
The Mercury feature is another step forward for Burghley & Co, but it’s also a reminder of where the business started.
Building a new independent brand means earning trust one customer at a time.
Being recognised by our local press and seeing Burghley & Co appearing on a national platform such as easyJet Traveller gives us the opportunity to introduce what we’re building to a much wider audience.
There is plenty more I want to do with Burghley & Co, but seeing the story covered back home in Stamford is something I’m very proud of.
Read the original Rutland & Stamford Mercury article:
Stamford optician behind Burghley & Co flies high with easyJet
About Burghley & Co
Burghley & Co is an independent UK eyewear business founded by UK Registered Dispensing Optician Scott Phippen. We offer carefully selected designer frames and prescription eyewear online, with every prescription order personally reviewed before glazing.