Luxottica

Luxottica Group S.p.A. (Milan) has reported a 14.1 percent increase in sales for its 2004 fiscal year. Retail sales gained 15.7 percent and same-store sales were up 4.2 percent.

For its fourth quarter, sales were up 31 percent, retail sales up 37.3 percent and same-store sales up 4.1 percent.

“This was a particularly strong year for our entire organization, both in retail and wholesale,” said ceo Andrea Guerra. “All our optical and sun retail brands, from LensCrafters to Sunglass Hut to OPSM Group, performed well above industry trends, especially in terms of profitability. In wholesale, our strong fashion and house brands, which include Ray-Ban, the best-selling sun and prescription brand in the world, continued to strengthen their position in key markets worldwide, testifying to the overall strength of our portfolio.

“During the final quarter of the year, from a retail perspective in North America we focused on the integration of the important Cole National business, the success of which is key for our group. As of today, all is on track with no surprises.”