Just one year after opening its first store in Winnipeg, Specsavers has doubled its presence in the province, growing from seven stores to 16. Specsavers stores are owned and run by local eyecare experts such as Lorenzo Sciarretta, Retail Partner at the Winnipeg West and Portage Avenue in Real Canadian Superstore locations. Now a Registered Optician, Lorenzo began his career as an optometrist in Italy.
In addition to providing a wide range of quality eyewear at affordable prices, Specsavers equips locations with optical coherence tomography (OCT), a 3D scan that helps optometrists detect certain eye conditions at early stages.
“My father was an optometrist who owned four stores,” Lorenzo explains. “I started working with lenses and frames at the age of 10 and knew this was where my career would be.”
After arriving in Canada, Lorenzo shifted to opticianry and worked for several companies before joining Specsavers last year. The Specsavers difference, he says, is making great quality products and care accessible to everyone.
“My goal is to provide customers with a product that is more than a vision aid – it’s a fashion statement, an accessory for every day,” he says.
Specsavers landed in Winnipeg in September 2024 with the opening of stores at CF Polo Park and St. Vital Centre. Since then, Specsavers has served more than 8,000 Manitobans and completed more than 1,000 comprehensive eye exams. Nine new Specsavers stores in Manitoba opened in late 2025 as part of its rapid expansion across Canada following the announcement of a relationship with Loblaws Inc.
The new Specsavers locations are in Real Canadian Superstore locations in Winnipeg. With this expansion, there is now a Specsavers store for every 90,000 Manitobans.
In addition to providing a wide range of quality eyewear at affordable prices, Specsavers equips locations with optical coherence tomography (OCT), a 3D scan that helps optometrists detect certain eye conditions at early stages.
“Based on our experience over the past year, we see Manitoba as an important market for Specsavers,” says John Faires, Specsavers Trading Director. “With this expansion from seven stores to 16, we’re making eyecare and eyewear more accessible and raising awareness that vision health matters at any age.”
One in three Canadian adults are overdue for an eye exam, and 17% report their last eye exam was over five years ago, according to Specsavers’ Canada Eyecare Report 2025. Based on a national survey by Angus Reid Group, the report finds that lack of knowledge about eye health is causing many Canadians to delay essential care and possibly put their sight at risk: 42% of Canadians say if they had a problem with their vision, they’d know it. In fact, sight-threatening conditions can develop without symptoms. Advanced diagnostic tools like OCT help optometrists detect and monitor eye health changes before they impact daily life.
The Canada Eyecare Report 2025 shows an urgent need to increase access to eyecare for Canadians. With the recent opening of new locations across Winnipeg, Specsavers is poised to help Manitobans reduce avoidable blindness caused by uncorrected vision problems and undiagnosed eye disease.
Lorenzo Sciarretta has come a long way since he tinkered with frames in his father’s lab in Italy, but one thing hasn’t changed: the optical business is all about relationships.
“We truly care,” says Lorenzo. “My team has deep product knowledge. and we’re laser focused on ensuring every customer has a positive experience.”