But looking ahead to the 2012 Games, this confounder of opticians everywhere appears relaxed and quietly assured.

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Add to that list dentists, lawyers, doctors, maid services, headhunters, furriers, opticians, weight control specialists, psychotherapists, movers, interior decorators, plumbers.

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Others focus on keeping patients involved in community life and ensuring they get access to services such as dentists and opticians.

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Just look at Specsavers, a chain of opticians that has aligned itself with referees in Scotland for more than a decade.

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But the acquisition, he believed, was the only way to prevent Luxottica from being squeezed by discount chains like Wal-Mart--even if it meant competing with his best customers, small opticians then providing 90% of his sales.

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Until then he'd had no direct retail experience, but the acquisition, he believed, was the only way to prevent Luxottica from being squeezed by such discount chains asWal-Mart--even if it meant competing with his best customers, the small opticians that then provided 90% of his sales.

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