CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France–EssilorLuxottica (Reuters: ESLX.PA) announced yesterday that more than 67 percent of eligible employees have subscribed to its International Share Ownership plan. More than 56,000 EssilorLuxottica employees now hold a financial stake in the company, the company said in a statement. In November this year, EssilorLuxottica introduced the first employee share ownership initiative of the new combined Group, extending it for the first time to 12,000 eligible Luxottica employees in Italy. Embracing the plan for the very first time, Luxottica’s Italian employees had a take-up rate of 68 percent, above the Group’s 2019 average.

The plan this year covered 73 countries versus 43 last year, corresponding to nearly 70,000 employees eligible to subscribe. This gave Luxottica employees in Italy the opportunity to join more than 48,000 Essilor colleagues worldwide who, since the origins of Essilor and in particular over the past few years, decided to co-invest in the company by purchasing shares on favorable terms.

“In Luxottica we strongly believe in the value of employee shareholding. Our people can play a more active role in the great industrial plan and be involved in EssilorLuxottica’s development, supporting and sharing the success of a Company that aims to grow and create opportunities for everyone. The success of this initiative makes us very proud and confirms the trust of each of Luxottica’s employees who chose to be part of this journey,” commented Francesco Milleri, deputy chairman – CEO of Luxottica.

“I am very proud to see the continued success of our share ownership plan. What makes these results even more remarkable is the highly positive response of Luxottica employees decided to join their Essilor colleagues in this global community of internal shareholders in great numbers, seeing the real benefits of owning a stake in their company. This represents a key milestone in the construction of EssilorLuxottica, reflecting the alignment of employees with the Group’s strategy and its mission to help people ‘see more, be more and live life to its fullest,’” stated Laurent Vacherot, CEO of Essilor.