Specsavers raids Yum! Brands for Euro, Australian expansion

Specsavers has expanded its legal team with a hire from fast food restaurants giant Yum! Brands to assist with a large-scale business expansion into new markets in Europe and Australia.

The company has brought in Steve Jackson from Yum!, the company that owns Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell, as it looks to expand into Ireland, Spain, Scandinavia and the Netherlands.

Specsavers has also sent Meryl Englefield to Australia to oversee the launch of 100 new outlets as the company looks to consolidate its position as the world's largest privately owned optician.

Corporate counsel Darran James said: "We're dealing with an expanding and very fast-moving business. There will always be room for additional lawyers, but whether they'll come from secondments or hires remains to be seen."

James added that he had also taken a secondee from Bond Pearce to handle the increased workload.

The expansion has created more work for Specsavers' relationship firms Bond Pearce, Taylor Wessing and Baker & McKenzie - the latter being appointed global trademark counsel. In Ireland the company has appointed A&L Goodbody as its main relationship firm. Jackson will help out with M&A work and franchise agreements, splitting his time between Southampton and Specsavers' headquarters in Guernsey.