Luxottica Group
Milan, Italy; Mason, OH (North America Operations)

Worldwide Units: 5,300
International Operations: 130 countries spanning five continents
Expansion Plans: 2008: 250
Expansion Territories: Asia, Europe, Oceania, North America
Preferred store size: 150 – 4,000 sq. ft.
Preferred locations: Airport/transportation center, community strip center, downtown/central business district, enclosed regional mall, enclosed super regional mall, freestanding, lifestyle center, mixed use center, neighborhood strip center, outlet center, pad site/outparcel, power center

It’s hard to imagine that Leonardo Del Vecchio wasn’t in the eyewear business until he was in his 30’s. Founder of Luxottica Group, the world’s largest eyewear retailer and operator of the Pearl Vision, Lenscrafters, Sunglass Hut, Sears Optical and Ilori 2 banners, Del Vecchio was first a medalist. That is, he mastered the art of shaping and engraving medals as a young adult. He then took his skills to a new arena by opening his own shop that made small metal parts for glasses’ frames in the city of Agordo. (It just happened to be that Agordo is where 95% of Italian eyewear is made). Luxottica s.a.s. was founded in 1967, but it wasn’t until 1971, however, that Luxottica began to solely manufacture complete eyewear frames. This marked the beginning of the company’s journey to worldwide recognition. And here they are today, with about 5,300 stores worldwide and plans for 250 more in 2008.

The Sunglass Hut banner requires the smallest space, between 150 and 1,000 square feet, but Lenscrafters locations are larger: anywhere from 1,500 to 4,000 square feet. The company locates stores in just about every type of retail format except for theme and festival centers.

Typical lease terms are for five years with one five-year option. Minimum frontage is usually 35 feet. Prospective sites should be within a five-mile radius of a population of 50,000, and 35,000 vehicles per day is also preferred.

More information on Luxottica and over 5,400 other retail chains can be found in Trade Dimensions’ Retail Tenant Directory. To order your print, cd, or online version today, visit www.retailtenantdirectory.com.