Retail Brands
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Retail brands |
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Optical Retail |
Sun and Luxury Retail |
OPTICAL RETAIL
As of December 31, 2010, the Group operated a retail network of 1,155 LensCrafters stores, of which 964 are in North America and the other 191 stores are in China and Hong Kong. LensCrafters is currently the largest optical retailer in North America in terms of sales.
LensCrafters stores offer a wide selection of prescription frames and sunglasses, mostly made by Luxottica, but also a wide range of lenses and optical products made by other suppliers. Points of sale are normally in high-traffic commercial malls and shopping centers and have an on-site optometrist (sometimes a Luxottica employee) so that customers can have immediate eye examinations. Most LensCrafters stores in North America also include a lens finishing laboratory, which improves the customer service level. During the last few years, Luxottica has invested in the premium aspects of the LensCrafters brand, adding additional elements such as an exclusive new store concept currently being implemented in store renovations across North America, associate training, advertising and marketing, which together represent the premium brand and future direction of LensCrafters. In 2006, Luxottica began to expand the LensCrafters brand in China by rebranding most of its stores there, which were acquired through the acquisition of three retail chains.
Acquired by Luxottica in 2004, Pearle Vision is one of the largest optical retail chains in North America. Although LensCrafters and Pearle Vision address the mid- to high-end customer bracket, their positioning is complementary. Pearle Vision focuses on the factors that made the brand a success: customers’ trust in the doctor’s experience and the quality of service they receive.
Pearle Vision stores are mostly located in strip malls instead of the conventional malls where most LensCrafters and Sunglass Hut stores are located.
The successful relaunching of the Pearle Vision brand in 2004 and 2005 was centered on a return to its original values, which had made Pearle Vision the “Home of Trusted Eyecare” for generations of Americans.
As of December 31, 2010, Pearle Vision operated 370 corporate stores and had 356 franchise locations throughout North America.
Licensed Brands
Since 2004, Luxottica also operates a network of retail locations in North America operating as Sears Optical and Target Optical, known as “Licensed Brands”, which use the brand names of their respective host American department stores. These points of sale offer consumers the convenience of taking care of their optical needs while shopping at these department stores. Both brands have a precise market positioning that Luxottica has reinforced by improving service levels while strengthening their fashion reputation by offering brands such as Ray-Ban and Vogue. As of December 31, 2010, Luxottica operated 824 Sears Optical and 322 Target Optical locations throughout North America.
OPSM, leader in the optical retail market in Australia and New Zealand operates as a leading eyewear retail brand for luxury and fashion-minded customers. In July 2010, the brand launched its new flagship store OPSM eye hub, marking the debut of a retail outlet where every customer dictates and personalizes their own shopping experience.
As of December 31, 2010, Luxottica operated 326 stores and one franchise location throughout Australia. OPSM also has 43 owned stores in New Zealand, mainly in large urban areas.
Laubman & Pank is well-known for its high quality assortment and services. Laubman & Pank’s target segment is the “independent” optical shopper looking for quality eye-care and services.
During 2010, the Group continued to enhance its market positioning to ensure that the retail brand locations are appropriate for their local demographics and markets. As of December 31, 2010, Luxottica owned 76 stores throughout Australia.
Budget Eyewear focuses on the value-oriented shopper and offers an easy selection process for frames and lens packages in a bright and modern store environment. As of December 31, 2010, Luxottica owned 93 Budget Eyewear corporate stores throughout Australia and had 11 franchise locations.
During 2010, Luxottica has also acquired Optifashion Australia Pty Limited group an optical retail chain that operates approximately 60 stores which will be re-branded under Luxottica trade names, mostly in the Western part of Australia, where the Group is not significantly present today.
http://www.budgeteyewear.com.au/
Luxottica holds 97% of Multiopticas, company that controls more than 470 optical stores in Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
SUN AND LUXURY RETAIL
Since the acquisition of Sunglass Hut in 2001, Luxottica has become a world leader in the specialty sunglass retail business.
As of December 31, 2010, Sunglass Hut operated a retail network of 2,295 stores worldwide, of which 2,229 corporate stores and 66 are franchise locations. The former are in North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and South Africa, whereas the latter are in Middle East, India, the Philippines and Thailand.
Founded in the United States in 1971 to operate in department stores, Sunglass Hut gradually expanded its base of stores and kiosks in shopping malls to new retail locations on city shopping streets and in airports. Over the years, Sunglass Hut focused increasingly on selling premium sunglasses. In 2007, Luxottica developed an exclusive new store concept, which is now being extended to all prime Sunglass Hut locations around the world. This repositioning was made possible by substantial changes to the product mix allowing the chain to focus more on fashion and luxury brands, especially for women, while maintaining a varied selection of lifestyle, sport and performance sunglasses.
The chain reinforced its presence in the department store channel through long-term strategic agreements with Macy’s in the United States, Myer in Australia and Edgars in South Africa. Following a strategy to strengthen the brand equity by increasing its presence in “gateway cities”, Sunglass Hut opened, in April 2010, flagship stores in New York and London. These simultaneous openings in major cities mark an unprecedented commitment to the eyewear category and provide consumers with a fun, innovative experience that celebrates a love of fashion and shopping.
In 2011, the expansion strategy into emerging countries has driven Luxottica to an agreement pursuant to which more than 70 sun stores in Mexico have been acquired. This will enable the Group to enter the Mexican retail market, a market with great opportunities.
ILORI is Luxottica’s high-end fashion sun retail brand, with 24 stores in North America as of December 31, 2010, including flagship stores in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City and in Beverly Hills, California.
ILORI caters to a different, more exclusive clientele than Sunglass Hut, offering a richer purchasing experience in prestige locations, featuring sophisticated luxury collections, exclusive niche brands and highly personalized service.
Founded in the 1970s, The Optical Shop of Aspen is known in the optical industry for its luxury brands for both prescription and sunglasses and its first class customer service.
As of December 31, 2010, Luxottica operated 24 stores in some of the most upscale and exclusive locations throughout the United States.
Luxottica operates six luxury retail stores under the Oliver Peoples brand. The Oliver Peoples brand retail stores only offer Oliver Peoples, Mosley Tribes and Paul Smith products. Two additional Oliver Peoples retail locations are operated under license in Tokyo and Los Angeles.
In Europe, Luxottica operates David Clulow, a premium optical retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland, predominantly in London and the South East of the United Kingdom. The brand emphasizes service, quality and fashion.
Its marketing is targeted to reinforce these brand values and build long-term relationships with customers. In addition to operating optical stores, David Clulow operates a number of sunglass concessions in upmarket department stores, further reinforcing its position as a premium brand in the United Kingdom. As of December 31, 2010, David Clulow operated 76 locations.
First established in 1985, Bright Eyes is one of Australia’s largest and fastest-growing sunglass chains, with 127 sunglass stores across the continent.
As of December 31, 2010, Bright Eyes operated 52 corporate store locations and 75 franchise locations, mostly in tourist resorts and high-traffic areas.
Oakley Stores and Vaults
As of December 31, 2010, the Group operated 160 Oakley “O” Stores and Vaults worldwide, offering a full range of Oakley products including sunglasses, apparel, footwear and accessories. These stores are designed and merchandised to immerse consumers in the Oakley brand through innovative use of product presentation, graphics and original audio and visual elements.
In the United States, Oakley “O” Stores are in major shopping centers. Oakley’s retail operations are also located in Mexico, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
E-commerce sites
Another important sales channel is e-commerce, including the Sunglass Hut, Oakley and Ray-Ban websites (www.sunglasshut.com, www.oakley.com, www.ray-ban.com), which are complementary to the retail operations and international distribution. The websites allow consumers to purchase products as efficiently as possible, increasing awareness of brands, improving customer service and communicating the brands’ values and essence.
