HAWTHORN, Australia —Luxottica Group opened a new concept store
in this Melbourne suburb on July 21, with interactive features company
officials said may also be used in the U.S. and other global markets.
The new location, called OPSM Eye Hub, opened as part of
Luxottica’s OPSM Australian retail segment. The 6,000-square-foot store
showcases more than 2,000 “unique” SKUs of ophthalmic frames and
sunwear, according to Luxottica. It includes an Oakley Air Simulation
machine so customers can check various sunglass styles’ wind resistance;
41 touch screens that serve as both mirrors and cameras, allowing
consumers to photograph themselves wearing different eyewear styles for
posting on social media sites; and a machine that can replicate sun
glare on snow or water to check the power of sun lenses.
A Luxottica announcement describes the new store as “a retail
outlet where every customer dictates and personalizes his or her own
shopping experience.”
The Eye Hub features the largest product range of any Luxottica
store in the world, according to the company, including the largest
selection of premium eyewear as well as the largest choice of Ray-Ban
and Vogue branded merchandise, and “the largest range of children’s
glasses in [the] Southern Hemisphere, if not the world.”
The store, designed in the shape of an eye, includes an in-store lab.
Andrea Guerra, Luxottica’s chief executive officer, said the
company’s long-term goal is for the Eye Hub concept to be adapted
globally; plans call for more stores using the format to open in
Australia in the next two to three years, with additional locations
possible in the future in key markets such as the U.S., China and the
U.K.
A Luxottica spokesman told VM the company expects to open up to
15 stores outside Australia over the next two to three years, although
there are no formal plans for the U.S. at present. He added that
Luxottica is also likely to roll out some elements of the new retail
concept to its existing store formats in the U.S. and other markets.
Said Guerra, “With the features the new store concept has to
offer consumers, quite simply it sets new standards for international
retailing. Naturally, we also believe this will be the next step in
eyewear retailing in particular, and look forward to bringing this
concept to consumers around the world.”
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