How can anyone that is independent (not part of the mass merchants or box stores) support anything from Essilor? This French company controls the wholesale lab industry and independent ECP markets. They are a major player with VSP and Vision Source. If an independent ECP buys anything from them (ie. Custom Eyes, Southern, Pech, Varilux, Crizal, Frames Direct, Definity, Shamir, etc...they even own 49% of Transitions!) - it is like giving someone bullets to shoot yourself with. :hammer: They take the profits earned through selling their products and services to independent ECP's and are buying up everything in sight - vertically and horizontally.
And they are continuing to try to gain more market share in retail - their last frontier before they completely control the US optical market. With the fragmenation of the optical industry, they seem to be just beyond the reach of the FTC.
See their latest efforts with Luxottica... What is to come next? Merger? Joint partnership?
If you are not working for a large retailer like LenShafters, it is very hard to watch!
Luxottica Retail Plans Include Lens Push in LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut Expansion
Andrea Guerra, CEO, Luxottica
LONDON—Luxottica Group’s (NYSE: LUX) flagship LensCrafters retail brand will put more emphasis on its lens offerings this year, in an attempt to build on a 6.1 percent increase in 2010 comparable-store sales, Luxottica’s chief executive officer, Andrea Guerra, told a meeting of financial analysts here yesterday. Luxottica Retail will also be expanding its sunwear retailing, both in LensCrafters stores and through a major worldwide expansion of its Sunglass Hut chain, Guerra said.
The bulk of that planned sunwear sales growth will come via existing stores and newly opened locations rather than major acquisitions, Guerra indicated. Asked about possible acquisitions this year, he replied, “We see 2011 as another year of smaller/medium-sized acquisitions, especially in creating our platform in Latin America.” (Last month Luxottica announced plans to enter the Mexican sunglass market by buying two sunwear chains there totaling 70 locations.)
Luxottica Retail is basing its projection of mid-single-digit sales growth for LensCrafters this year on an upgrading of the chain’s lens marketing. A new digital measurement technology called the Accufit system is slated to be rolled out this summer in LensCrafters’ locations, according to Kerry Bradley, chairman, vision development, of Luxottica Retail North America. Also planned for this year is the rollout of a new AR lens technology, developed in partnership with Essilor, that will bring one-hour AR capability to 200 LensCrafters stores, Bradley said.
In addition, LensCrafters recently launched a new “ready-to-wear” lens program through which consumers who want premium lenses but need their new glasses immediately are initially given a pair of basic lenses, then can come back in a few days to have the premium lenses installed. “Our premium lens sales have gone up four points since we introduced this program,” Bradley noted.
LensCrafters also plans to expand its Rx sunwear marketing with its first national TV campaign supporting the sunglass season. And the chain is increasing “the size and impact” of its sunwear departments, Bradley said, while adding a second, lower-priced Rx Ray-Ban lens option.
With an eye toward what Fabio d’Angelantonio, Luxottica’s executive vice president, sun and luxury retail, called “the aspirational goal” of having 4,000 Sunglass Hut stores operating by 2015, Sunglass Hut will accelerate its host-store program with Macy’s department stores, adding 230 more locations this year for a total of 670 units. The chain will also open four new “flagship” locations—in New York City, Orlando, Santa Monica and London--and move into three additional countries: Mexico, Brazil and Turkey.
The chain’s strong comp-store sales last year—up 11.1 percent in North America, and 8.4 percent worldwide—were attributed by d’Angelantonio to new strategies that will be continued: targeting young women aged 20 to 25, stressing more frequent updating of the stores’ product selections and front-of-store displays, and segmentation of the stores’ product mix depending on their locations and customer demographics.
Sunglass Hut has also been boosting its website and social media efforts. In 2010, online sales through its www.sunglasshut.com site doubled the prior year’s volume, and d’Angelantonio expects that online business to double again in 2011.
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Originally Posted by blinkvelo
major dislike / hatred for Essilor .........................
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