PALM SPRINGS, Fla.—My Eyelab, a retail brand of Now Optics, has reported that it experienced “tremendous growth this past year” with the opening of 28 new locations. This raised its total optical locations to 99 stores, 48 of which are franchised and 51 corporate-owned and operated, according to its announcement. In addition, My Eyelab last year signed 57 new franchise deals, a 200 percent increase in new units compared with 2019, which the company attributed to the 23 “discovery days” it held last year for potential franchisees, according to the announcement.

My Eyelab, which said it experienced a same-store sales increase of 83 percent in 2020, noted that it is “staying true to its vision of modernizing the eyecare experience for all people and making franchising easy.”

Overall, My Eyelab parent company Now Optics said it administered 560,000 telehealth eye exams in 2020, a 60 percent increase from 2019, which “solidified its national eyecare and retail brands as optical industry leaders in optical telehealth services,” according to the announcement.

Now Optics—with its retail brands My Eyelab and Stanton Optical—said it has more than 200 eyecare locations across 27 states and ranks among the nation’s fastest growing, full-service retail optical centers.

In addition, My Eyelab recently ranked in the top 100 of Entrepreneur magazine’s Top 500 Franchises, which is a key report in the franchise industry. My Eyelab moved up 248 spots from 343 in last year’s ranking to 95th this year based on its performance in areas such as unit growth, financial strength and stability and brand power. (Pearle Vision ranked No. 32 overall in this year's Top 500 list, as VMAIL reported last month.)

“The pandemic brought so many challenges for all of us, but it also presented us with some unique opportunities,” Now Optics founder and chief executive officer Daniel Stanton said in the announcement. “I’m so incredibly proud of my entire staff and all of the hard work they did during this difficult time. We are honored to be recognized on such a prestigious list amongst so many iconic brands.”

He added, “We take a lot of pride in our modern approach to eyecare and use of innovative telehealth technology. Our commitment to our customers was stronger than ever in a time where they needed us most.”

Now Optics said it believes business projections “look promising for My Eyelab in 2021,” with early estimates showing 50 new franchise locations and 25 new corporate locations to debut in 2021. The company expects to expand its reach into three new states. Now Optics said it has conducted more than 1.2 million telehealth eye exams.