A strong Brand Retail portfolio to reach several target segments
Luxottica was the world's first eyewear manufacturer to enter the retail market, and it did so through the 1995 acquisition of The United States Shoe Corporation, owner of LensCrafters, the largest optical retail chain in North America. As a consequence, in just a few years, the company reached a leadership position in the Retail market thanks to a series of acquisitions, including:
· in 2001 Sunglass Hut, a leading global retailer of premium sunglasses;
· in 2003 OPSM Group, a leading optical player in Australia and New Zealand;
· in 2006 the expansion of the LensCrafters brand in China;
· In 2011, in line with the expansion strategy in emerging markets, the acquisition of Multiopticas S.L., a company owning more than 470 stores in South America with Opticas GMO, Econopticas and Sun Planet brands, and the acquisition of two sunglass specialty retail chains in Mexico, then rebranded under the Sunglass Hut brand.
As of 31 December 2012, our retail network consisted of 6,960 stores.