“Why Do You Hate Luxottica?”

Posted on November 22, 2008
Filed Under Luxottica | 1 Comment

Not surprisingly, I get asked this every now and then.

The short answer is, I don’t. What I don’t like is the way they do business.

I’m all for efficiency — and sometimes consolidation of businesses can lead to that. Efficiencies, and the associated cost savings, at this level can (and absolutely should) “trickle down” to the consumer. This has quite obviously not been the case with this giant.

The biggest problem I see with Luxottica is that they’re greedy — really, really greedy. They feel a need to run everything and thereby own everything. They pick off the competition one brand or chain at a time with almost no resistance from the flaccid governments around the world — particularly in the United States. Who pays for all of these conquests? You do.

Don’t buy into it — fight back!

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The Yacht Luxottica Built

Posted on November 21, 2008
Filed Under Luxottica | 1 Comment

Click here to see the little 203.5 foot boat is owned by Leonardo Del Vecchio. It was built in 2006 for a price of roughly $64,000,000 (yes that’s sixty-four million).

Think the outside is swanky? You should see the inside.

For those of you without a calculator, at $200 per pair of glasses (a VERY conservative figure), that works out to 320,000 pairs of LensCrafters eyeglasses worth of boat.

How does your Yacht stack up?

Looking at the logs… Hello Italy!

Posted on November 19, 2008
Filed Under Luxottica | Leave a Comment

The site got noticed by “Vanz” in Italy and he posted a link to the “How they hurt us” post. He got a couple of comments on the link and one in particular that I’d like to address:

copia e incolla tutto quello scritto su quella pagina per qualunque marchio che tenta di vendere un life style piu’ che un prodotto. che poi prendersela con luxottica che ha rilevato brand americani che erano ne piu e ne meno la stessa cosa, sa taaaaaanto di fuffa anti europeista. se i brand restavano yankee li avrebbero criticato lo stesso? - pm10

Translated by Google: Copy and paste everything written on that page for any brand that is trying to sell a life style more ‘than a product. then blame Luxottica brand that has found that Americans were no more and less the same thing, you know taaaaaanto of fuffa anti-European. if the Yankee brand them have remained the same criticism?

First off, I’m not anti-European. One of my cars is European. My favorite appliance is my Rancilio Silvia (I could drink espresso all day). I watch Formula One and my favorite sporting event is the Tour De France. I don’t honestly care where Luxottica is located — they have a huge presence in Ohio. It would be easier for me to criticize them if they were an American company — because there would be no language barrier.

Additionally, I think you’ll find that the vast majority of people in the United States are not anti-European. That’s a fallacy brought upon us earlier in the millennium by an administration currently on the way out. 

Luxottica isn’t helping the world see. They’re helping themselves to the world’s wallets.

P.S. Thanks to michele boroni, glad you like the site — and others like this — and to Vanz for the link and for tagging me as “Semifamoso”. Good stuff!

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LUX.MI: A “tough 2009″ on tap, but expansion continues

Posted on November 16, 2008
Filed Under Luxottica | 1 Comment

Luxottica’s CEO, Andrea Guerra talked with Milan’s Corriere della Sera newspaper last week and had the following to say about the company’s outlook:

“2009 will be a tough year. On the one hand we are seeing a structural slowdown in consumption, which will last at least six to nine months, on the other, a shorter but very intense period of uncertainty and instability.”

I’ve got another “hand” for you right here, Andrea… How many people, trying to make ends meet during this “intense period of uncertainty”, who FINALLY REALIZE you’ve been screwing them year after year will come back in six months? Six years? I’d guess no one, outside of the mentally ill, would even consider it. 

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the tough times at Luxottica are going to be tougher and perhaps perpetual as people have their eyes opened.

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Three Easy Ways to Beat Luxottica (While Our Government Sleeps)

Posted on November 1, 2008
Filed Under Luxottica | 2 Comments

Our government continues to ignore the fact that Luxottica is removing the competition from the market one acquisition at a time. The fact that they are involved from manufacturing and licensing, retail, and even “insurance” (which will always live inside quotes on the Suxottica site as it’s really nothing more than a marketing program) makes the Microsoft anti-trust stuff look ridiculous, yet the government continues to allow it. I’m quite suspicious of this.

Prices will continue to go up — that is unless we hit them where it hurts and force some major changes in this industry. They’ve made billions in profits by taking extreme advantage of our inability to see without eyeglasses. Their one-hour service made it impossible to ignore them especially when it was difficult to afford more than one pair of current-prescription eyeglasses at a time. There is no longer any reason to be stuck in that situation.

Here are a few ways that you can help “stick it back to them“:

  1. Become familiar with the Luxottica brands and stores and avoid them entirely.
  2. Shop online. Order a spare pair for 1/10 the price of a pair at LensCrafters. Don’t get stuck NEEDING glasses when yours are broken.
  3. Share your experiences with your friends — whether they wear glasses or not. Use the internet to chronicle your online purchases. Help make this viral! People NEED TO KNOW that there are options. 
Sign up for the mailing list (up there at the top) and get updates on Luxottica’s latest news and how it affects our far and nearsighted brethren. 

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