Sunglass Hut International
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sunglass Hut International is North America’s largest retailer of sunglasses. The company operates over 1,800 stores, with over 1,500 located in North America. Overseas, the company operates stores in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. Sunglass Hut is focused on fashion eyewear, operating under the Luxottica Group, the largest eyewear company in the world.
History
Sunglass Hut was founded in 1971 by Sanford Ziff, an optometrist at the time. Ziff opened a freestanding kiosk in a Miami, Florida, mall, and called it the "Sunglass Hut.” The success of his first kiosk prompted Ziff and his family to open other Sunglass Hut locations in the Miami area.
In 1986, after opening his 100th store, Ziff sold 75% of the company to finance its expansion. Following the partial acquisition of Sunglass Hut by an investment firm, the business was incorporated under the name Sunglass Hut International, Inc. For two years, the firm and the Ziff family worked together to increase the number of Sunglass Hut stores in the marketplace, as well as upgrade existing units and add new products to the company line.
In February 2001, Luxottica purchased Sunglass Hut, an acquisition that — in addition to the LensCrafters stores in the United States and Canada — gave Luxottica more than 2,500 retail locations in North America.
Today
In 2003, Sunglass Hut began repositioning its brand identity to emphasize the fashion element of its market, which was expressed in the 2004 advertising campaign, "Spontaneous Expression." Brands currently available in store and on the site include names like Tiffany & Co., Ray-Ban, Oakley, Maui Jim, Arnette, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Bvlgari, Dolce & Gabbana, and Prada.
