Six-figure investment as NI’s largest independent practice opens at 49-50 William St, Portadown
One of Northern Ireland’s best-known family eye care businesses has opened a new, standalone practice in Portadown as part of a six-figure investment supported by Ulster Bank.
Established in 1949, Mackey Opticians grew from the ambition of its founder Fred Mackey, and his son James, who helped establish the family name in optometry at a time when the NHS was reshaping access to healthcare.
The business quickly gained a reputation for personal service, exceptional care, and a strong focus on being active within the communities it served. Those principles have endured for over 75 years and continue to underpin the care Mackey Opticians delivers to generations of patients across Northern Ireland.
The new Portadown practice marks the latest stage in the growth of one of the region’s oldest opticians and follows a search for a new location that would allow the business to strengthen its presence in the town and provide a wider range of services in a more accessible, community-focused setting.
The new premises will support the delivery of optometry and audiology services and, with capacity for more frequent clinics and testing days, it enables Mackey Opticians to build on its existing eye care services, including minor eye care, glaucoma monitoring, post-cataract checks, school visits, specialist lenses, audiology clinics, and more.
Commenting on the investment, Ulster Bank business development manager Lee White said: “This is an investment that will really deliver for communities in Portadown and Craigavon. Not only is this sustaining, and quite possibly creating future jobs, but it is also improving important access to vital healthcare services.”
More than three quarters of a century after Fred Mackey first opened the doors of his first practice near Cornmarket in Belfast, the business remains in family hands. Today, Mackey Opticians is led by brothers Mark, Richard and Chris Mackey and together, they have helped develop Mackey Opticians into Northern Ireland’s largest independent opticians with 14 practices and over 50 staff.
Director Chris Mackey said: “There’s so much family history behind the business, and we’re proud of it, but what matters most is what that means for people today. Our business is built on trust, care and community. We want our patients to know us, and us to know them and we look forward to being part of the Portadown community for many years to come.”
For more information about Ulster Bank business banking, visit www.ulsterbank.co.uk.
