Luxottica Group

Bracknell, England -- JDA Software Group announced that eyewear manufacturer/marketer Luxottica Group SpA has gone live with its implementation of JDA Supply Chain Planner, from the JDA Manufacturing Planning.  

Milan, Italy –- Specialty eyewear retailer Luxottica Group S.P.A. reported increases in profit and revenue during the third quarter of fiscal 2014. Net income grew 10% to $259.2 million from $236.8 million in the third quarter of the prior fiscal year, while net sales rose 5% to $3.01 billion from $2.85 billion.  

Milan, Italy –- Leonardo Del Vecchio, 79, the chairman and founder of global eyewear manufacturer/retailer Luxottica Group who assumed the role of interim CEO on Oct. 14, has reportedly sent a letter to employees reassuring them his return as CEO is temporary. According to Reuters, in the letter, Del Vecchio said he would step down and turn management over to new co-CEOs once the company’s new governance structure is consolidated.  

Milan, Italy -– Enrico Cavatorta, who accepted the role of CEO at global eyewear manufacturer/retailer Luxottica Group in September 2014, has resigned due to what the company termed disagreements with corporate governance structure. Board member Roger Abravanel also resigned for the same reason.  

Oakley, a wholly owned subsidiary of Luxottica Group, the world’s largest eyewear company, is looking to take its performance-driven, namesake brand to the next level. On the heels of its first global marketing initiative, the company has opened a state-of-the-art flagship on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

New York -- Italian eyewear maker Luxottica Group SpA has entered into an agreement to design, develop and distribute glasses based on Google's Internet-connected Glass eyewear.

Luxottica said that its two major brands, Ray-Ban and Oakley, would be part of the deal. No financial terms were discussed.

Sunglass Hut, LensCrafters optimize endless aisle with caching solution

Providing in-store customers with enhanced online “endless aisle” access to products can boost sales and customer service. But if the wait for endless aisle connectivity takes too long, its effectiveness is impacted.

NEW YORK — The Jones Group has entered into an exclusive, world-wide license agreement with Altair, a division of  Marchon Eyewear for the creation, production, marketing and global distribution of ophthalmic eyewear and sunglasses under the Anne Klein brand. The Anne Klein ophthalmic eyewear and sunglass collections are currently produced and marketed under a world-wide license agreement with Luxottica Group S.p.A., which will expire on Dec. 31.  

New York -- Private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners has purchased Things Remembered from Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co. (BRS) and GB Merchant Partners for $295 million.

Milan -- Luxottica Group announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Erroca, which operates more than 60 sunglass stores in Israel. Over time, the stores will be rebranded under the Sunglass Hut brand.

The deal marks Luxottica's entry into the Israeli sunglass specialty store market, although the company already has a solid presence in the country through its wholesale division.