UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 20-F
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REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
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ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
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SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
Commission file number 1-10421
LUXOTTICA GROUP S.p.A. (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter) |
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(Translation of Registrant's name into English) |
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REPUBLIC OF ITALY (Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
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PIAZZALE L. CADORNA 3, MILAN 20123, ITALY (Address of principal executive offices) |
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Michael A. Boxer, Esq. Executive Vice President and Group General Counsel Piazzale L. Cadorna 3, Milan 20123, Italy Tel: +39 02 8633 4052 Michael.Boxer@luxottica.com (Name, Telephone, Email and/or Facsimile Number and Address of Company Contact Person) |
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act.
Title of each class | Name of each exchange of which registered | |
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ORDINARY SHARES, PAR VALUE |
NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE |
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AMERICAN DEPOSITARY |
NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE |
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act.
None.
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act.
None.
Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer's classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.
ORDINARY SHARES, PAR VALUE EURO 0.06 PER SHARE |
478,023,858 | |
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. |
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Yes ý No o | |||
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Yes o No o |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. |
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Large accelerated filer ý |
Accelerated filer o | Non-accelerated filer o | ||
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U.S. GAAP o |
International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ý | Other o | ||
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Item 17 o Item 18 o | |||
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Throughout this annual report on Form 20-F (this "Form 20-F"), management has made certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which are considered prospective. These statements are made based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are identified by the use of forward-looking words and phrases such as "plans," "estimates," "believes" or "belief," "expects" or other similar words or phrases.
Such statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those which are anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, our ability to manage the effect of the uncertain current global economic conditions on our business, our ability to successfully acquire new businesses and integrate their operations, our ability to predict future economic conditions and changes in consumer preferences, our ability to successfully introduce and market new products, our ability to maintain an efficient distribution network, our ability to achieve and manage growth, our ability to negotiate and maintain favorable license arrangements, the availability of correction alternatives to prescription eyeglasses, fluctuations in exchange rates, changes in local conditions, our ability to protect our proprietary rights, our ability to maintain our relationships with host stores, any failure of our information technology, inventory and other asset risk, credit risk on our accounts, insurance risks, changes in tax laws, as well as other political, economic, legal and technological factors and other risks and uncertainties described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and we do not assume any obligation to update them.
Throughout this Form 20-F, when we use the terms "Luxottica," "Company," "Group," "we," "us" and "our," unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, we are referring to Luxottica Group S.p.A. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
Our proprietary brands and designer line prescription frames and sunglasses that are referred to in this Form 20-F, and certain of our other products, are sold under names that are subject to registered trademarks held by us or, in certain instances, our licensors. These trademarks may not be used by any person without our prior written consent or the consent of our licensors, as applicable.
ITEM 1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS
Not applicable.
ITEM 2. OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE
Not applicable.
The following tables set forth selected consolidated financial data for the periods indicated and are qualified by reference to, and should be read in conjunction with, our Consolidated Financial Statements, the related notes thereto, and Item 5"Operating and Financial Review and Prospects" contained elsewhere herein. We prepare our financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB"). The selected consolidated income statement data for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, are derived from the audited Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 18. The selected consolidated income statement data for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the selected
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consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, are derived from audited consolidated financial statements which are not included in this Form 20-F. The consolidated financial statements were audited by Deloitte & Touche S.p.A. with respect to 2011 and 2010. The consolidated financial statements with respect to 2014, 2013 and 2012 have been audited by our current independent registered public accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers S.p.A., which replaced Deloitte & Touche S.p.A. as part of the normal rotation of auditors as required by CONSOB (the Italian securities regulatory authority). In 2014, the Group applied accounting policies on a basis consistent with the previous year and did not elect the early adoption of any IFRS standards (other than as disclosed in Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 18 of this Form 20-F).
The selected financial data below should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this Form 20-F.
[TABLES APPEAR ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES]
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(Amounts in thousands of Euro except share data) |
2014(*) |
2013 |
2012 |
2011 |
2010 |
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STATEMENT OF INCOME DATA: |
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Net Sales |
7,652,317 | 7,312,611 | 7,086,142 | 6,222,483 | 5,798,035 | |||||||||||
Cost of Sales |
(2,574,685 | ) | (2,524,006 | ) | (2,435,993 | ) | (2,216,876 | ) | (2,035,686 | ) | ||||||
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Gross Profit |
5,077,632 | 4,788,605 | 4,650,148 | 4,005,607 | 3,762,349 | |||||||||||
OPERATING EXPENSE |
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Selling and Advertising |
(3,013,399 | ) | (2,866,307 | ) | (2,840,649 | ) | (2,509,783 | ) | (2,367,979 | ) | ||||||
General and Administrative |
(906,620 | ) | (866,624 | ) | (839,360 | ) | (698,795 | ) | (689,526 | ) | ||||||
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Total |
(3,920,019 | ) | (3,732,931 | ) | (3,680,009 | ) | (3,208,578 | ) | (3,057,505 | ) | ||||||
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Income from Operations |
1,157,613 | 1,055,673 | 970,139 | 797,029 | 704,845 | |||||||||||
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE) |
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Interest Income |
11,672 | 10,072 | 18,910 | 12,472 | 8,494 | |||||||||||
Interest Expense |
(109,659 | ) | (102,132 | ) | (138,140 | ) | (121,067 | ) | (106,987 | ) | ||||||
OtherNet |
455 | (7,247 | ) | (6,463 | ) | (3,273 | ) | (8,130 | ) | |||||||
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Other ExpensesNet |
(97,533 | ) | (99,307 | ) | (125,693 | ) | (111,868 | ) | (106,623 | ) | ||||||
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Income Before Provision for Income Taxes |
1,060,080 | 956,366 | 844,447 | 685,161 | 598,221 | |||||||||||
Provision for Income Taxes |
(414,066 | ) | (407,505 | ) | (305,891 | ) | (233,093 | ) | (215,411 | ) | ||||||
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Net Income from Continuing Operations |
646,014 | 548,861 | 538,556 | 452,068 | 382,809 | |||||||||||
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Discontinued Operations |
| | | | 19,944 | |||||||||||
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Net Income |
646,014 | 548,861 | 538,556 | 452,068 | 402,753 | |||||||||||
Of which attributable to: |
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Luxottica Group Stockholders |
642,596 | 544,696 | 534,375 | 446,111 | 397,680 | |||||||||||
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Non-controlling Interests |
3,417 | 4,165 | 4,181 | 5,957 | 5,072 | |||||||||||
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Net Income |
646,014 | 548,861 | 538,556 | 452,068 | 402,753 | |||||||||||
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Weighted Average Shares Outstanding (thousands) |
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Basic |
475,948 | 472,057 | 464,643 | 460,437 | 458,711 | |||||||||||
Diluted |
479,247 | 476,273 | 469,574 | 463,296 | 460,535 | |||||||||||
Basic Earnings per Share from Continuing Operations(1) |
1.35 | 1.15 | 1.15 | 0.97 | 0.83 | |||||||||||
Basic Earnings per Share from Discontinued Operations(1) |
| | | | 0.04 | |||||||||||
Basic Earnings per Share(1) |
1.35 | 1.15 | 1.15 | 0.97 | 0.87 | |||||||||||
Diluted Earnings per Share from Continuing Operations(1) |
1.34 | 1.14 | 1.14 | 0.96 | 0.82 | |||||||||||
Diluted Earnings per Share from Discontinued Operations(1) |
| | | | 0.04 | |||||||||||
Diluted Earnings per Share(1) |
1.34 | 1.14 | 1.14 | 0.96 | 0.86 | |||||||||||
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As of December 31, | |||||||||||||||
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(Amounts in thousands of Euro except share data) |
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2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
2011 |
2010 |
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BALANCE SHEET DATA: |
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Working Capital(1) |
778,955 | 535,616 | 621,882 | 526,241 | 649,236 | |||||||||||
Total Assets |
9,594,297 | 8,082,905 | 8,442,160 | 8,374,325 | 7,739,679 | |||||||||||
Total Debt(2) |
2,466,506 | 2,079,430 | 2,452,463 | 2,936,712 | 2,791,285 | |||||||||||
Stockholders' Equity |
4,921,479 | 4,142,828 | 3,981,372 | 3,612,928 | 3,256,375 | |||||||||||
Capital Stock |
28,900 | 28,653 | 28,394 | 28,041 | 27,964 | |||||||||||
Total Number of Ordinary Shares (thousands) |
481,672 | 477,561 | 473,238 | 467,352 | 466,077 | |||||||||||
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DIVIDENDS
We are required to pay an annual dividend on our ordinary shares if such dividend has been approved by a majority of our stockholders at the ordinary meeting of stockholders. Before we may pay any dividends with respect to any fiscal year, we are required, as necessary, to set aside an amount equal to 5% of our statutory net income for such year in our legal reserve unless and until the reserve, including amounts remaining from prior years, is at least equal to one-fifth of the nominal value of our then issued share capital. Each year thereafter, such legal reserve requirement remains fulfilled so long as the reserve equals at least one-fifth of the nominal value of our issued share capital for each such year.
At our ordinary meeting of stockholders held on April 29, 2014, our stockholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend in the amount of Euro 0.65 per ordinary share and ADR. The total amount of the dividend paid to stockholders on May 22, 2014 was Euro 308.3 million. On March 2, 2015, the Board of Directors of the Company proposed to the ordinary meeting of stockholders convened on April 24, 2015 the distribution of an ordinary cash dividend in the amount of Euro 0.72 per ordinary share and ADR and an extraordinary cash dividend in the amount of Euro 0.72 per ordinary share and ADR.
Future determinations as to dividends will depend upon, among other things, our earnings, financial position and capital requirements, applicable legal restrictions and such other factors as the Board of Directors and our stockholders may determine.
The table below sets forth the cash dividends declared and paid on each ordinary share in each year indicated.
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Cash Dividends per Ordinary Share(1)(2)(3) |
Translated into U.S. $ per Ordinary Share(4) |
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Year |
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(Euro) |
(U.S. $) |
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2010 |
0.350 | 0.428 | |||||
2011 |
0.440 | 0.622 | |||||
2012 |
0.490 | 0.615 | |||||
2013 |
0.580 | 0.750 | |||||
2014 |
0.650 | (5) | 0.888 | ||||
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EXCHANGE RATE INFORMATION
The following tables set forth, for 2010 through 2014, certain information regarding the Euro foreign exchange reference rate published by the European Central Bank (the "BCE Rate"), which is used by the Company for translating amounts denominated in currencies other than Euro. The information is expressed in U.S. dollars per Euro 1.00:
Year Ended December 31, |
Low |
High |
Average(1) |
End of Period |
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2010 |
1.1942 | 1.4563 | 1.3207 | 1.3362 | |||||||||
2011 |
1.2669 | 1.4882 | 1.4000 | 1.2939 | |||||||||
2012 |
1.2053 | 1.3453 | 1.2859 | 1.3194 | |||||||||
2013 |
1.2768 | 1.3814 | 1.3308 | 1.3791 | |||||||||
2014 |
1.2141 | 1.3953 | 1.3211 | 1.2141 | |||||||||
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Month |
Low |
High |
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October 2014 |
1.2524 | 1.2823 | |||||
November 2014 |
1.2393 | 1.2539 | |||||
December 2014 |
1.2141 | 1.2537 | |||||
January 2015 |
1.2043 | 1.1198 | |||||
February 2015 |
1.1240 | 1.1447 | |||||
March 2015 |
1.0557 | 1.1227 | |||||
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On April 10, 2015, the BCE Rate was U.S. $1.0570 per Euro 1.00.
Unless otherwise indicated, all translations included in this Form 20-F of amounts expressed in Euro into U.S. dollars have been made using the exchange rates, as indicated in the above table, in effect as of the end of the relevant period or date, as appropriate.
In this Form 20-F, unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires, references to "$," "U.S. $," "dollars," "USD" or "U.S. dollars" are to United States dollars, references to "Euro" or "€" are to the Common European Currency, the Euro, and references to "AUD" or "A$" are to Australian dollars.
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RISK FACTORS
Our future operating results and financial condition may be affected by various factors, including those set forth below.
Risks Relating to Our Industry and General Economic Conditions
If current economic conditions deteriorate, demand for our products will be adversely impacted, access to credit will be reduced and our customers and others with which we do business will suffer financial hardship. All of these factors could reduce sales and in turn adversely impact our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Our operations and performance depend significantly on worldwide economic conditions. Uncertainty about global economic conditions poses a risk to our business because consumers and businesses may postpone spending in response to tighter credit markets, unemployment, negative financial news and/or declines in income or asset values, which could have a material adverse effect on demand for our products and services. Discretionary spending is affected by many factors, including general business conditions, inflation, interest rates, consumer debt levels, unemployment rates, availability of consumer credit, conditions in the real estate and mortgage markets, currency exchange rates and other matters that influence consumer confidence. Many of these factors are outside our control. Purchases of discretionary items could decline during periods in which disposable income is lower or prices have increased in response to rising costs or in periods of actual or perceived unfavorable economic conditions. If this occurs or if unfavorable economic conditions continue to challenge the consumer environment, our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.
In the event of financial turmoil affecting the banking system and financial markets, additional consolidation of the financial services industry or significant failure of financial services institutions, there could be a tightening of the credit markets, decreased liquidity and extreme volatility in fixed income, credit, currency and equity markets. In addition, the credit crisis could continue to have material adverse effects on our business, including the inability of customers of our wholesale distribution business to obtain credit to finance purchases of our products, restructurings, bankruptcies, liquidations and other unfavorable events for our consumers, customers, vendors, suppliers, logistics providers, other service providers and the financial institutions that are counterparties to our credit facilities and other derivative transactions. The likelihood that such third parties will be unable to overcome such unfavorable financial difficulties may increase. If the third parties on which we rely for goods and services or our wholesale customers are unable to overcome financial difficulties resulting from the deterioration of worldwide economic conditions or if the counterparties to our credit facilities or our derivative transactions do not perform their obligations as intended, our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.
If our business suffers due to changing local conditions, our profitability and future growth may be affected.
We currently operate worldwide and have begun to expand our operations in many countries, including certain developing countries in Asia, South America and Africa. Therefore, we are subject to various risks inherent in conducting business internationally, including the following:
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The likelihood of such occurrences and their potential effect on us vary from country to country and are unpredictable, but any such occurrence may result in the loss of sales or increased costs of doing business and may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
If vision correction alternatives to prescription eyeglasses become more widely available, or consumer preferences for such alternatives increase, our profitability could suffer through a reduction of sales of our prescription eyewear products, including lenses and accessories.
Our business could be negatively impacted by the availability and acceptance of vision correction alternatives to prescription eyeglasses, such as contact lenses and refractive optical surgery. Increased use of vision correction alternatives could result in decreased use of our prescription eyewear products, including a reduction of sales of lenses and accessories sold in our retail outlets, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
Unforeseen or catastrophic losses not covered by insurance could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
For certain risks, we do not maintain insurance coverage because of cost and/or availability. Because we retain some portion of our insurable risks, and in some cases self-insure completely, unforeseen or catastrophic losses in excess of insured limits could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Risks Relating to Our Business and Operations
If we are unable to successfully introduce new products and develop and defend our brands, our future sales and operating performance may suffer.
The mid- and premium-price categories of the prescription frame and sunglasses markets in which we compete are particularly vulnerable to changes in fashion trends and consumer preferences. Our historical success is attributable, in part, to our introduction of innovative products which are perceived to represent an improvement over products otherwise available in the market and our ability to develop and defend our brands, especially our Ray-Ban and Oakley proprietary brands. Our future success will depend on our continued ability to develop and introduce such innovative products and continued success in building our brands. If we are unable to continue to do so, our future sales could decline, inventory levels could rise, leading to additional costs for storage and potential write-downs relating to the value of excess inventory, and there could be a negative impact on production costs since fixed costs would represent a larger portion of total production costs due to the decline in quantities produced, which could materially adversely affect our results of operations.
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If we are not successful in completing and integrating strategic acquisitions to expand or complement our business, our future profitability and growth could be at risk.
As part of our growth strategy, we have made, and may continue to make, strategic business acquisitions to expand or complement our business. Our acquisition activities, however, can be disrupted by overtures from competitors for the targeted candidates, governmental regulation and rapid developments in our industry. We may face additional risks and uncertainties following an acquisition, including (i) difficulty in integrating the newly acquired business and operations in an efficient and effective manner, (ii) inability to achieve strategic objectives, cost savings and other benefits from the acquisition, (iii) the lack of success by the acquired business in its markets, (iv) the loss of key employees of the acquired business, (v) a decrease in the focus of senior management on our operations, (vi) difficulty integrating human resources systems, operating systems, inventory management systems and assortment planning systems of the acquired business with our systems, (vii) the cultural differences between our organization and that of the acquired business and (viii) liabilities that were not known at the time of acquisition or the need to address tax or accounting issues.
If we fail to timely recognize or address these matters or to devote adequate resources to them, we may fail to achieve our growth strategy or otherwise realize the intended benefits of any acquisition. Even if we are able to integrate our business operations successfully, the integration may not result in the realization of the full benefits of synergies, cost savings, innovation and operational efficiencies that may be possible from the integration or in the achievement of such benefits within the forecasted period of time.
If we are unable to achieve and manage growth, operating margins may be reduced as a result of decreased efficiency of distribution.
In order to achieve and manage our growth effectively, we are required to increase and streamline production and implement manufacturing efficiencies where possible, while maintaining strict quality control and the ability to deliver products to our customers in a timely and efficient manner. We must also continuously develop new product designs and features, expand our information systems and operations, and train and manage an increasing number of management level and other employees. If we are unable to manage these matters effectively, our distribution process could be adversely affected and we could lose market share in affected regions, which could materially adversely affect our business prospects.
If we do not correctly predict future economic conditions and changes in consumer preferences, our sales of premium products and profitability could suffer.
The fashion and consumer products industries in which we operate are cyclical. Downturns in general economic conditions or uncertainties regarding future economic prospects, which affect consumer disposable income, have historically adversely affected consumer spending habits in our principal markets and thus made the growth in sales and profitability of premium-priced product categories difficult during such downturns. Therefore, future economic downturns or uncertainties could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition, including sales of our designer and other premium brands.
The industry is also subject to rapidly changing consumer preferences and future sales may suffer if the fashion and consumer products industries do not continue to grow or if consumer preferences shift away from our products. Changes in fashion could also affect the popularity and, therefore, the value of the fashion licenses granted to us by designers. Any event or circumstance resulting in reduced market acceptance of one or more of these designers could reduce our sales and the value of our models from that designer. Unanticipated shifts in consumer preferences may also result in excess inventory and underutilized manufacturing capacity. In addition, our success depends, in large part, on our ability to anticipate and react to changing fashion trends in a timely manner. Any sustained failure to identify and respond to such trends could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition and may result in the write-down of excess inventory and idle manufacturing facilities.
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If we do not continue to negotiate and maintain favorable license arrangements, our sales or cost of sales could suffer.
We have entered into license agreements that enable us to manufacture and distribute prescription frames and sunglasses under certain designer names, including Chanel, Prada, Miu Miu, Dolce & Gabbana, Bvlgari, Tiffany & Co., Versace, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, DKNY, Paul Smith, Brooks Brothers, Tory Burch, Coach, Armani, Michael Kors and Starck Eyes. These license agreements typically have terms of between four and ten years and may contain options for renewal for additional periods and require us to make guaranteed and contingent royalty payments to the licensor. We believe that our ability to maintain and negotiate favorable license agreements with leading designers in the fashion and luxury goods industries is essential to the branding of our products and, therefore, material to the success of our business. Accordingly, if we are unable to negotiate and maintain satisfactory license arrangements with leading designers, our growth prospects and financial results could materially suffer from a reduction in sales or an increase in advertising costs and royalty payments to designers. For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, no single license agreement represented greater than 5.0% of total sales.
As we operate in a complex international environment, if new laws, regulations or policies of governmental organizations, or changes to existing ones, occur and cannot be managed efficiently, the results could have a negative impact on our operations, our ability to compete or our future financial results.
Compliance with European, U.S. and other laws and regulations that apply to our international operations increases our costs of doing business, including cost of compliance, in certain jurisdictions, and such costs may rise in the future as a result of changes in these laws and regulations or in their interpretation or enforcement. This includes, in particular, our manufacturing activities and services provided to us by third parties within our supply chain, which are subject to numerous workplace health and safety laws, environmental laws, labor laws and other similar regulations and restrictions on the sourcing of materials (including with respect to "conflict mineral" zones) that may vary from country to country and are continuously evolving. In certain countries, failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations relating to workplace health and safety protection and environmental matters could result in criminal and/or civil penalties being imposed on responsible individuals and, in certain cases, the Company. In certain circumstances, even if no fine or penalty is imposed, we may suffer reputational harm if we fail to comply with applicable laws and regulations. We have implemented policies and procedures designed to facilitate our compliance with these laws and regulations, but there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors or agents will not violate such laws and regulations or our policies. Any such violations could individually, or in the aggregate, materially adversely affect our financial condition or operating results.
Additionally, our Oakley, Eye Safety Systems and EyeMed subsidiaries are U.S. government contractors or subcontractors and, as a result, we must comply with, and are affected by, U.S. laws and regulations related to conducting business with the U.S. government. These laws and regulations may impose various additional costs and risks on our business. For example, Oakley and Eye Safety Systems are required to obtain applicable governmental approvals, clearances and certain export licenses. We also may become subject to audits, reviews and investigations of our compliance with these laws and regulations. See Item 4"Information on the CompanyRegulatory Matters" and Item 8"Financial InformationLegal Proceedings."
If we are unable to protect our proprietary rights, our sales might suffer, and we may incur significant additional costs to defend such rights.
We rely on trade secret, unfair competition, trade dress, trademark, patent and copyright laws to protect our rights to certain aspects of our products and services, including product designs, brand names, proprietary manufacturing processes and technologies, product research and concepts and goodwill, all of which we believe are important to the success of our products and services and our competitive position. However, pending trademark or patent applications may not in all instances result in the issuance of a
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registered trademark or patent, and trademarks or patents granted may not be effective in thwarting competition or be held valid if subsequently challenged. In addition, the actions we take to protect our proprietary rights may be inadequate to prevent imitation of our products and services. Our proprietary information could become known to competitors, and we may not be able to meaningfully protect our rights to proprietary information. Furthermore, other companies may independently develop substantially equivalent or better products or services that do not infringe on our intellectual property rights or could assert rights in, and ownership of, our proprietary rights. Moreover, the laws of certain countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States or of the member states of the European Union.
Consistent with our strategy of vigorously defending our intellectual property rights, we devote substantial resources to the enforcement of patents issued and trademarks granted to us, to the protection of our trade secrets or other intellectual property rights and to the determination of the scope or validity of the proprietary rights of others that might be asserted against us. However, if the level of potentially infringing activities by others were to increase substantially, we might have to significantly increase the resources we devote to protecting our rights. From time to time, third parties may assert patent, copyright, trademark or similar rights against intellectual property that is important to our business. The resolution or compromise of any litigation or other legal process to enforce such alleged third party rights, regardless of its merit or resolution, could be costly and divert the efforts and attention of our management. We may not prevail in any such litigation or other legal process or we may compromise or settle such claims because of the complex technical issues and inherent uncertainties in intellectual property disputes and the significant expense in defending such claims. An adverse determination in any dispute involving our proprietary rights could, among other things, (i) require us to coexist in the market with competitors utilizing the same or similar intellectual property, (ii) require us to grant licenses to, or obtain licenses from, third parties, (iii) prevent us from manufacturing or selling our products, (iv) require us to discontinue the use of a particular patent, trademark, copyright or trade secret or (v) subject us to substantial liability. Any of these possibilities could have a material adverse effect on our business by reducing our future sales or causing us to incur significant costs to defend our rights.
If we are unable to maintain our current operating relationship with host stores of our retail licensed brands division, we could suffer a loss in sales and possible impairment of certain intangible assets.
Our sales depend in part on our relationships with the host stores that allow us to operate our retail licensed brands division, including Sears Optical and Target Optical. Our leases and licenses with Sears Optical are terminable upon short notice. If our relationship with Sears Optical or Target Optical were to end, we would suffer a loss of sales and the possible impairment of certain intangible assets. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
If we fail to maintain an efficient distribution and production network or if there is a disruption to our critical manufacturing plants or distribution network in highly competitive markets, our business, results of operations and financial condition could suffer.
The mid- and premium-price categories of the prescription frame and sunglasses markets in which we operate are highly competitive. We believe that, in addition to successfully introducing new products, responding to changes in the market environment and maintaining superior production capabilities, our ability to remain competitive is highly dependent on our success in maintaining an efficient distribution network. If we are unable to maintain an efficient and resilient distribution and production network or a significant disruption thereto should occur, our sales may decline due to the inability to timely deliver products to customers and our profitability may decline due to an increase in our per unit distribution costs in the affected regions, which may have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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If we were to become subject to adverse judgments or determinations in legal proceedings to which we are, or may become, a party, our future profitability could suffer through a reduction of sales, increased costs or damage to our reputation due to our failure to adequately communicate the impact of any such proceeding or its outcome to the investor and business communities.
We are currently a party to certain legal proceedings as described in Item 8"Financial InformationLegal Proceedings." In addition, in the ordinary course of our business, we become involved in various other claims, lawsuits, investigations and governmental and administrative proceedings, some of which are or may be significant. Adverse judgments or determinations in one or more of these proceedings could require us to change the way we do business or use substantial resources in adhering to the settlements and could have a material adverse effect on our business, including, among other consequences, by significantly increasing the costs required to operate our business.
Ineffective communications, during or after these proceedings, could amplify the negative effects, if any, of these proceedings on our reputation and may result in a negative market impact on the price of our securities.
Changes in our tax rates or exposure to additional tax liabilities could affect our future results.
We are subject to taxes in Italy, the United States and numerous other jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be affected by changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, or changes in tax laws or their interpretation. Any of these changes could have a material adverse effect on our profitability. We also are regularly subject to the examination of our income tax returns by the Italian tax authority, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as well as the governing tax authorities in other countries where we operate. We routinely assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for tax risks. Currently, some of our companies are under examination by various tax authorities. There can be no assurance that the outcomes of the current ongoing examinations and possible future examinations will not materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
If there is any material failure, inadequacy, interruption or security failure of our information technology systems, whether owned by us or outsourced or managed by third parties, this may result in remediation costs, reduced sales due to an inability to properly process information and increased costs of operating our business.
We rely on information technology systems both managed internally and outsourced to third parties across our operations, including for management of our supply chain, point-of-sale processing in our stores and various other processes and transactions. Our ability to effectively manage our business and coordinate the production, distribution and sale of our products depends on, among other things, the reliability and capacity of these systems. The failure of these systems to operate effectively, network disruptions, problems with transitioning to upgraded or replacement systems, or a breach in data security of these systems could cause delays in product supply and sales, reduced efficiency of our operations, unintentional disclosure of customer or other confidential information of the Company leading to additional costs and possible fines or penalties, or damage to our reputation, and potentially significant capital investments and other costs could be required to remediate the problem, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
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If we record a write-down for inventories that are obsolete or exceed anticipated demand or other assets the net realizable value of which is below the carrying amount, such charges could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We record a write-down for product and component inventories that have become obsolete or exceed anticipated demand or net realizable value. We review our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changed circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable, and we determine whether valuation allowances are needed against other assets, including, but not limited to, accounts receivable. If we determine that impairments or other events have occurred that lead us to believe we will not fully realize these assets, we record a write-down or a valuation allowance equal to the amount by which the carrying value of the assets exceeds their fair market value. Although we believe our inventory and other asset-related provisions are currently adequate, no assurance can be made that, given the rapid and unpredictable pace of product obsolescence, we will not incur additional inventory or asset-related charges, which charges could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Leonardo Del Vecchio, our chairman and principal stockholder, controls 61.38% of our voting power and is in a position to affect our ongoing operations, corporate transactions and any matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including the election of directors and a change in corporate control.
As of April 10, 2015, Mr. Leonardo Del Vecchio, the Chairman of our Board of Directors, through the company Delfin S.à r.l., has voting rights over 295,904,025 Ordinary Shares, or 61.38% of the issued share capital. See Item 7"Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions." As a result, Mr. Del Vecchio has the ability to exert significant influence over our corporate affairs and to control the outcome of virtually all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including the election of our directors, the amendment of our Articles of Association or By-laws, and the approval of mergers, consolidations and other significant corporate transactions.
Mr. Del Vecchio's interests may conflict with or differ from the interests of our other stockholders. In situations involving a conflict of interest between Mr. Del Vecchio and our other stockholders, Mr. Del Vecchio may exercise his control in a manner that would benefit him to the potential detriment of other stockholders. Mr. Del Vecchio's significant ownership interest could delay, prevent or cause a change in control of our company, any of which may be adverse to the interests of our other stockholders.
If we are not successful in transitioning our leadership structure as currently intended, our future growth and profitability may suffer.
In October 2014, we announced the introduction of a new management structure based on a co-CEO model, pursuant to which two co-chief executive officers are appointed to manage the principal executive officer responsibilities of the Group, with one chief executive officer focused on Markets and the other focused on Product and Operations. The co-CEO leadership structure allocates distinct yet complementary responsibilities between the two co-chief executive officers and is designed to promote stronger management of the Group, which has rapidly increased in size, complexity and global presence in recent years. If the new model proves ineffective, there may be delays in the implementation of the Group's strategic plans and reductions or slowdowns of our future growth and profitability.
If our procedures designed to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 cause us to identify material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, the trading price of our securities may be adversely impacted.
Our annual report on Form 20-F includes a report from our management relating to its evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting, as required under Section 404 of the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended. There are inherent limitations on the effectiveness of internal controls,
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including collusion, management override and failure of human judgment. In addition, control procedures are designed to reduce, rather than eliminate, business risks. Notwithstanding the systems and procedures we have implemented to comply with these requirements, we may uncover circumstances that we determine to be material weaknesses, or that otherwise result in disclosable conditions. Any identified material weaknesses in our internal control structure may involve significant effort and expense to remediate, and any disclosure of such material weaknesses or other conditions requiring disclosure may result in a negative market reaction to our securities.
Our auditors, like other independent registered public accounting firms operating in Italy and various other non-U.S. jurisdictions, are not inspected by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the "PCAOB") and, as such, investors currently do not have the benefits of PCAOB oversight.
The independent accounting firms that issue audit reports filed with the SEC are required under U.S. law to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess their compliance with professional auditing standards in connection with their audits of public companies. Because our independent auditor is located in Italy, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Italian authorities, the audit work and practices of our independent auditor, like other independent registered public accounting firms operating in Italy, are currently not inspected by the PCAOB.
The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in Italy makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent auditor's audit procedures and quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of Italy that are subject to periodic PCAOB inspections. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections.
Financial Risks
If the U.S. dollar or the Australian dollar weaken relative to the Euro or the Chinese Yuan strengthens relative to the Euro, our profitability as a consolidated group could suffer.
Our principal manufacturing facilities are located in Italy. We also maintain manufacturing facilities in China, Brazil, India and the United States as well as sales and distribution facilities throughout the world. As a result, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected by foreign exchange rate fluctuations in two principal areas:
As our international operations grow, future changes in the exchange rate of the Euro against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may negatively impact our reported results, although we have in place policies designed to manage such risk.
See Item 11"Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk" and Item 18"Financial Risks" (Note 3).
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If economic conditions around the world worsen, we may experience an increase in our exposure to credit risk on our accounts receivable which may result in a higher risk that we are unable to collect payments from our customers and, potentially, increased costs due to reserves for doubtful accounts and a reduction in sales to customers experiencing credit-related issues.
A substantial majority of our outstanding trade receivables are not covered by collateral or credit insurance. While we have procedures to monitor and limit exposure to credit risk on our trade and non-trade receivables, there can be no assurance such procedures will effectively limit our credit risk and avoid losses, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY
OVERVIEW
We are a market leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of fashion, luxury, sport and performance eyewear. Due to the strong growth enjoyed throughout 2014, our total net sales reached over Euro 7.6 billion, net income attributable to Luxottica stockholders was Euro 642.6 million and headcount as of year-end was approximately 77,730 employees. We operate in two industry segments: (i) manufacturing and wholesale distribution; and (ii) retail distribution. See Item 18"Financial Statements" for additional disclosures about our operating segments. Founded in 1961 by Leonardo Del Vecchio, we are a vertically integrated organization. Our manufacturing of sun and prescription eyewear is backed by a wide-reaching wholesale network and a retail distribution network, located mostly in North America, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
Product design, development and manufacturing take place in six production facilities in Italy, three factories in China, one production facility in Brazil and one production facility in the United States devoted to sports and performance eyewear. We also have a small plant in India serving the local market. In 2014, our worldwide production reached approximately 83 million units.
The design and quality of our products and our strong and well-balanced brand portfolio are recognized throughout the world. Proprietary brands include Ray-Ban, one of the world's best-known eyewear brands, Oakley, Vogue Eyewear, Persol, Oliver Peoples, Alain Mikli and Arnette, and our licensed brands include Armani, Bvlgari, Burberry, Chanel, Coach, Dolce & Gabbana, DKNY, Michael Kors, Paul Smith, Ralph Lauren, Prada, Starck Eyes, Tiffany, Tory Burch and Versace. Our wholesale distribution network covers more than 130 countries across five continents and has approximately 50 commercial subsidiaries providing direct operations in key markets.
Our direct wholesale operations are complemented by an extensive retail network comprised of over 7,000 stores worldwide at December 31, 2014. We are a leader in the prescription business in North America with our LensCrafters and Pearle Vision retail brands, in Australia and New Zealand with our OPSM and Laubman & Pank brands, in China with our LensCrafters brand and in Latin America with our GMO brand. In North America, we also operate our retail licensed brands, Sears Optical and Target Optical. Additionally, we operate one of the largest managed vision care networks in the United States, through EyeMed, and the second largest lens finishing network, with three central laboratories, over 900 on-site labs at LensCrafters stores, a fully dedicated Oakley lab and an additional facility based in China dedicated to North American optical retail.
We have a global retail organization to support our sun and luxury retail brands, including Sunglass Hut, ILORI and The Optical Shop of Aspen. The Sunglass Hut brand, in particular, has a global presence with stores in North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, South Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
The Oakley brand provides a powerful wholesale and retail ("O Stores") presence in both the performance optics and the sport channels. In our O Store locations, we offer Oakley eyewear styles in addition to a variety of Oakley-branded products, such as apparel, footwear, backpacks and accessories designed for athletic lifestyles (e.g., surf, snow, golf, outdoor, motor sports and mountain biking).
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Our distribution channels are complemented by an e-commerce component, including the Oakley, Ray-Ban and Sunglass Hut websites and the recently acquired glasses.com.
In 2014, 44.3% of total sales of frames and lenses in Euros related to prescription eyewear and 55.7% related to sunglasses.
Our capital expenditures for our continuing operations were Euro 418.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 and Euro 94.0 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2015. We expect 2015 aggregate capital expenditures to be approximately 5.5% of the Group's net sales, excluding any additional investments for business acquisitions. The most significant investments planned are the remodeling of existing stores, the opening of new stores, the upgrade and expansion of our manufacturing facilities as well as enhancement of our IT infrastructure. We expect to fund these future capital expenditures through cash flow generation primarily due to our operating leverage as well as working capital efficiencies. For a description of capital expenditures for the previous three years, see Item 5"Operating and Financial Review and ProspectsLiquidity and Capital ResourcesCash FlowsInvesting Activities."
Our principal executive offices are located at Piazzale L. Cadorna 3, Milan 20123, Italy, and our telephone number at that address is (011) 39-02-863341. We are domiciled in Milan, Italy.
HISTORY
Incorporation
Luxottica Group was founded by Leonardo Del Vecchio in 1961, when he set up Luxottica di Del Vecchio e C. S.a.S., which subsequently became a joint-stock company organized under the laws of Italy under the name of Luxottica S.p.A. We started out as a small workshop and operated until the end of the 1960s as a contract producer of dyes, metal components and semi-finished goods for the optical industry. We gradually widened the range of processes offered until we had an integrated manufacturing structure capable of producing a finished pair of glasses. In 1971, our first collection of prescription eyewear was presented at Milan's MIDO (an international optics trade fair), marking our definitive transition from contract manufacturer to independent producer.
Expansion in Wholesale Distribution
In the early 1970s, we sold our frames exclusively through independent distributors. In 1974, after five years of sustained development of our manufacturing capacity, we started to pursue a strategy of vertical integration, with the goal of distributing frames directly to retailers. Our first step was the acquisition of Scarrone S.p.A., which had marketed our products since 1971, bringing with it a vital knowledge of the Italian eyewear market.
Our international expansion began in the 1980s with the acquisition of independent distributors and the formation of subsidiaries and joint ventures in key international markets.
Our wholesale distribution expansion focuses on customer differentiation, customized service and new sales channels, such as large department stores, travel retail and e-commerce, as well as continuous penetration into the emerging markets. The acquisition, in 1981, of La Meccanoptica Leonardo, the owner of the Sferoflex brand and of an important flexible hinge patent, enabled us to enhance the image and quality of our products and increase our market share.
From the late 1980s, eyeglasses, previously perceived as mere sight-correcting instruments, began to evolve into "eyewear." Continual aesthetic focus on everyday objects and designers' interest in the emerging accessories industry led us to embark on our first collaboration with the fashion industry in 1988 by entering into a licensing agreement with Giorgio Armani. We followed up that initial collaboration, with numerous others and with the acquisition of new brands, gradually building our
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current world-class brand portfolio and thereby increasing our commitment to research, innovation, product quality and manufacturing excellence.
Over the years, we have launched collections from names like Bvlgari (1997), Chanel (1999), Prada (2003), Versace (2003), Donna Karan (2005), Dolce & Gabbana (2006), Burberry (2006), Polo Ralph Lauren (2007), Paul Smith (2007), Tiffany (2008), Tory Burch (2009), Coach (2012), Starck Eyes (2013), Armani (2013) and Michael Kors (2015).
Moreover, in 1999 we acquired Ray-Ban, one of the world's best-known sunglasses brands. Through this acquisition, we obtained crystal sun lens technology.
In 2007, we acquired California-based Oakley, a leading sport and performance brand, which owned the Oliver Peoples brand and a license to manufacture and distribute eyewear under the Paul Smith name. At the time of the acquisition, Oakley had its own retail network of over 160 stores.
In 2013, we acquired Alain Mikli International SA ("Alain Mikli"), a French luxury and contemporary eyewear company, which owned the Alain Mikli brand and Starck Eyes license. As a result of the acquisition, we strengthened both our luxury brand portfolio and prescription offerings, which now include Alain Mikli's distinctive designs.
Financial Markets
In 1990, we listed our American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2000, our stock was listed on Borsa Italiana's electronic share market and it has been in Italy's Mercato Telematico Azionario ("MTA") since 2003.
Retail Distribution
In 1995, we acquired The United States Shoe Corporation, which owned LensCrafters, one of North America's largest optical retail chains. As a result, we became the world's first significant eyewear manufacturer to enter the retail market, thereby maximizing synergies with our production and wholesale distribution and increasing penetration of our products through LensCrafters stores.
Since 2000, we have strengthened our retail business by acquiring a number of chains, including Sunglass Hut (2001), a leading retailer of premium sunglasses, OPSM Group (2003), a leading optical retailer in Australia and New Zealand, Cole National Corporation ("Cole") (2004), which brought with it another important optical retail chain in North America, Pearle Vision, and an extensive retail licensed brands store business (Target Optical and Sears Optical). In 2005, we began our retail expansion into China, where LensCrafters has become a leading brand in the country's high-end market. In the same year, we also started to expand Sunglass Hut globally in high-potential markets like the Middle East, South Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Mexico, Brazil and Europe. In 2011, we started our optical retail expansion in Latin America by completing the acquisition of Multiópticas Internacional S.L. ("GMO" or "Multiópticas Internacional"), a leading retailer in Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
DESIGN AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Emphasis on product design and the continuous development of new styles are key to Luxottica's success. During 2014, we added approximately 1,900 new styles to our eyewear collections. Each style is typically produced in two sizes and five colors.
The design of the Group's products is the focal point where vision, technology and creativity converge. Each frame expresses Luxottica's two core precepts: the use of innovative materials, technologies and processes and unparalleled craftsmanship.
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The design process begins with our in-house designers who work in an environment that promotes innovation, originality and a creative process in which eyewear is interpreted as art, an object to put on display. They draw inspiration from both market trends and their own imagination and creativity. In addition, our design team works directly with the marketing and sales departments, which monitor the demand for our current models, as well as general style trends in eyewear.
After the design process has been completed, the product development process is executed through engineering, planning, manufacturing and distribution of our products. The engineering process consists of the product development stages between style sketches and the manufactured final products. By using a launch calendar that focuses on customer and geographic demand, the engineering department has been able to decrease product development timelines in recent years.
The research and development efforts of our engineering staff play a crucial role in the product development process. Our engineers are continuously looking for new materials, concepts and technology innovations to apply to our products and processes in an effort to differentiate them in the eyewear market.
During the initial phase of the development process, the prototype makers transform designs into one-off pieces, crafted by hand with precision. Once developed, they are passed on to the product department, which uses visual rendering and 3D software to analyze the steps necessary to bring the prototype to mass production.
At this point in the cycle, the mold workshop designs and assembles the equipment needed to make the components for the new model. The first samples obtained are assembled and undergo a series of tests required by internal quality control procedures.
The next steps in the process involve the production and quality certification of sales samples of the new models. These samples are subjected to another sequence of tests to verify the quality of the engineering. The final step is the production of a preliminary batch using definitive tooling certified by an external standards organization. These samples are produced in a pilot facility that resembles the plant chosen to produce the final product for consumers.
We differentiate our products not only through innovation in style and design but also through a commitment to technological innovation. As growth in wearable technology creates a new playing field for innovation, in 2014, we announced strategic partnerships with Google and Intel. Both collaborations will expand the limits of what eyewear can be by creating frames that are as intelligent and functional as they are beautiful. Our eyewear professionals and Google's high-tech developers are devoted to designing, developing and distributing a new breed of eyewear for Google Glass and the multi-year R&D collaboration between Luxottica and Intel is aimed at fusing premium, luxury and sports eyewear with smart technology.
BRAND PORTFOLIO
Our brand portfolio is one of the largest in the industry and continuously evolves, with our major global brands backed by leading brands both at a regional level and in particular segments and niche markets. Our portfolio is well-balanced between proprietary and licensed brands, a combination of stability and prestige.
The presence of Ray-Ban, one of the world's best-selling brands of sun and prescription eyewear, and Oakley, a leader in the sport and performance category, gives the proprietary brand portfolio a strong base, complemented by Persol, Oliver Peoples and Alain Mikli in the high end of the market, Arnette in the sport market, and Vogue Eyewear in the fashion market.
Alongside the proprietary brands, our portfolio has over 20 licensed brands, including some well-known and prestigious names in the global fashion and luxury industries. With our manufacturing
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know-how, capillary distribution and direct retail operations supported by targeted advertising and our experience in international markets, our goal is to be the ideal partner for fashion houses and stylists seeking to translate their style and values into successful premium quality eyewear collections. We differentiate each designer's offering, segmenting it by type of customer and geographic market, to produce a broad range of models capable of satisfying diverse tastes and tendencies and to respond to the demands and characteristics of widely differing markets.
The following table presents the respective percentages of our total sales of frames in Euros comprised by our designer and proprietary brands during the periods indicated:
|
Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
2011 |
2010 |
|||||||||||
Designer brands |
30.6 | % | 31.4 | % | 29.7 | % | 30.5 | % | 32.4 | % | ||||||
Proprietary brands |
69.4 | % | 68.6 | % | 70.3 | % | 69.5 | % | 67.6 | % | ||||||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
The following table presents the respective percentages of our total sales of frames and lenses in Euros comprised by our prescription frames and lenses and sunglasses for the periods indicated:
|
Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
2011 |
2010 |
|||||||||||
Prescription frames and lenses |
44.3 | % | 46.1 | % | 47.3 | % | 46.3 | % | 50.2 | % | ||||||
Sunglasses |
55.7 | % | 53.9 | % | 52.7 | % | 53.7 | % | 49.8 | % | ||||||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Proprietary Brands
In 2014, proprietary brands accounted for approximately 69% of total sales of frames. Ray-Ban and Oakley, the two largest eyewear brands in our portfolio based on sales, accounted for 27.0% and 11.7%, respectively, of the Group's 2014 net sales.
Ray-Ban
Lifestyle, authenticity and freedom of expression are the key values underpinning the philosophy of Ray-Ban, a leader in sun and prescription eyewear for generations. Debuting in 1937 with the Aviator created for the American Air Force, Ray-Ban joined Luxottica's brand portfolio in 1999. Ray-Ban is recognized for the quality and authenticity of its eyewear, is worn by celebrities all over the world and is one of the most loved eyewear brands worldwide.
Oakley
Established in 1975 and acquired by Luxottica in 2007, Oakley is one of the leading product design and sport performance brands in the world, with products that world-class athletes around the globe depend on to compete at the highest level possible. The holder of more than 750 patents, Oakley is also known for its lens technologies, including High Definition Optics. Oakley extended its position as a sports eyewear brand into apparel and accessories, offering men's and women's product lines that appeal to sports performance, active and lifestyle consumers. The brand's global distribution includes Oakley "O" Stores and outlet Oakley Vault Stores.
Vogue Eyewear
Launched in 1973 under the same name as the famous fashion magazine, Vogue Eyewear was acquired by Luxottica in 1990. Vogue eyewear plays with prevalent fashion trends by offering a wide global assortment completed by local collections for the emerging markets. It has become an
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international contemporary fashion brand. Vogue eyewear follows a global approach with local relevance to appeal to consumers with different needs and tastes.
Persol
Persol, the iconic "Made in Italy" eyewear brand, made its debut in 1917 and was acquired by Luxottica in 1995. With its evocative name, meaning "for sun," it is the proud heir to a culture of excellence and craftsmanship, a perfect alchemy of aesthetics and technology. The irresistible appeal of timeless design and high quality make the brand a favorite among celebrities.
Oliver Peoples
Acquired by Luxottica in 2007, Oliver Peoples began in 1987 with the introduction of a retro-inspired eyewear collection created by designer and optician Larry Leight. Select eyewear is handcrafted from the finest quality materials, in colors exclusive to Oliver Peoples. Frames are manufactured in limited quantities and with deliberate anti-logo labeling, which appeals to sophisticated consumers.
Alain Mikli
Acquired by Luxottica in 2013, Alain Mikli is not simply the name of an eyewear brand, it also represents over 35 years of passion and know-how. Since 1978, the designer Alain Mikli recognized that vision correction was not merely a solution for a medical condition but could also be a means to communicate style and trends. His idea is simple but revolutionary: add style to a necessity and transform a need into a sign of personalityThe frames to see as well as to be seen.
Arnette
Launched in California in 1992, Arnette was acquired by Luxottica in 1999, and combines the comfort and functionality demanded by extreme sports enthusiasts.
Eye Safety Systems ("ESS")
Acquired in 2007, ESS designs, develops and markets advanced eye protection systems for military, firefighting and law enforcement professionals worldwide and is a leading supplier of protective eyewear to the U.S. military and firefighting markets.
Luxottica
Launched in 1967, the Group's original line best conveys the experience and tradition that are its essence.
Sferoflex
Sferoflex, which joined the Group's portfolio in 1981, takes its name from the patented flexible hinge enabling the temples to conform to the shape and size of the face, thus increasing the resilience of the frame itself and ensuring perfect fit.
Licensed Brands
Designer lines are produced and distributed through license agreements with major fashion houses. The license agreements are exclusive contracts, which typically have terms of between four and ten years and may contain options for renewal for additional periods. Under these license agreements, we are required to pay a royalty ranging from 6% to 14% of the net sales of the related collection and a mandatory marketing contribution of between 5% and 10% of net sales.
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Prada is the most significant license in our portfolio as measured by total sales. In 2014, sales realized through the Prada, Prada Linea Rossa and Miu Miu brand names together represented approximately 4% of total sales.
Armani Group
Under license since 2013, the Armani Group includes the following collections:
Giorgio Armani
The Giorgio Armani brand's incomparable sense of style is timeless and consistent. Armani's vision of the world of creative design is not about turning heads, but about leaving a lasting impression, so that the brand's aesthetic becomes an outward expression of the normality of sophistication. Pure lines, intrinsic elegance and care for details are the elemental concepts underlying all of Giorgio Armani's iconic designs as well as all of its eyewear styles.
Emporio Armani
Created in the early 1980s by Giorgio Armani, this label addresses the needs of trendy customers who love the Armani DNA. Armani's core elements are revisited in a modern take on fresh style, with innovative and trendy colorful designs that are distinguished by contemporary lines, shapes and materials.
Armani Exchange
A--X Armani Exchange is the youthful label created in 1991 by Giorgio Armani to capture the heritage of the Armani brand through a modern sensibility for the inherent beauty of young individuals' interpretation of contemporary lifestyle. The A--X Armani Exchange eyewear collection reflects the brand's young fashion-forward urban spirit. Modern shapes in original shades reflect contemporary design with stylish details.
Brooks Brothers
Characterized by lightweight materials and a slender line, the Brooks Brothers collections reflect the iconic features of the style of this American brand. This is an affordable product line with classic style that delivers functionality, lightness and high quality. The original license agreement was entered into in 1992.
Bvlgari
Bvlgari, the great Italian jeweler that is a master of colored gemstones of international fame, represents one of the most exclusive brands of eyewear: contemporary design, unique styles and glamorous details, together with superior quality. This brand is positioned for the highest segment of jewelry eyewear, with luxury Italian craftsmanship and bold style. Bvlgari eyewear features precious materials such as gold, gemstones and crystals and is carefully crafted in timeless designs.
Burberry
Since its founding in England in 1856, Burberry has been synonymous with quality, as defined by the endurance, classicism and functionality that characterized its history. Burberry has become a leading luxury brand with a global business. The eyewear collection, under license since 2006, is inspired by the brand's innovative ready-to-wear and accessories collections and incorporates very recognizable iconic elements for both men and women.
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Chanel
In 1999, Luxottica was the first company licensed to produce Chanel eyewear products. The Chanel eyewear collection, targeting luxury-oriented consumers, reflects the essential characteristics of the brand: unique creations, elegance and refinement.
Coach
Founded in 1941 as a family-run workshop in a Manhattan loft, Coach has grown to become a leading American marketer of fine accessories and ready-to-wear for women and men. Under license since 2012, the Coach eyewear collection perfectly expresses the effortless New York style and authentic American heritage of the Coach brand. In 2013, the brand started its transformation towards becoming a global lifestyle brand. Iconic brand themes have been reinterpreted across product categories and portrayed in disruptive advertising campaigns where luxury meets utility.
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana is a luxury brand that draws inspiration from the roots and the authentic values of its own DNA: Sicily, sensuality and sartorial ability. Dolce & Gabbana's essence lies in its contrasting yet complementary features. The eyewear collection, under license since 2006, is characterized by glamorous, unconventional shapes, prestigious materials and sumptuous detailing.
DKNY
DKNY is easy-to-wear fashion characterized by the energetic attitude of New York City: sleek, metropolitan, fun, fast and real. The brand caters to modern, urban, fashion conscious women and men, addressing a broad range of lifestyle needs, from work to weekend, jeans to evening. Under license since 2005, DKNY eyewear is everyday urban fashion with modern design at an accessible price. DKNY is the perfect mix of style, quality and value, fashion and color.
Michael Kors
Established in 1981, Michael Kors is an authentic contemporary fashion brand. Michael Kors eyewear, launched by Luxottica in 2015, offers a glamorous lifestyle for the consummate jet setter that is as sophisticated as it is indulgent and as iconic as it is modern. Michael Kors' eyewear collections capture the glamour and effortless sophistication for which the designer is celebrated, drawing upon signature details found in the brand's most iconic designs.
Paul Smith Spectacles
Licensed by Luxottica in 2007, the Paul Smith Spectacles brand, launched in 1994, includes prescription and sun eyewear featuring the whimsical yet classic designs and attention to detail that are synonymous with one of Britain's leading fashion designers.
Prada Group
Under license since 2003, the Prada Group includes the following collections:
Prada
Prada represents the best of Italian culture and tradition. At the same time, Prada is one of the most innovative, prestigious and widely recognized brands in the fashion and luxury goods industries, with a keen attention to detail and new trends. The Prada eyewear collection reflects this approach with unmistakable style, refined elegance and uncompromising quality. The
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Prada collection also includes the Prada Linea Rossa line, which is inspired by the world of sports to convey an everyday casual yet sophisticated style.
Miu Miu
The Miu Miu eyewear collection was launched with brand-new luxury positioning in 2011 to align it with the brand's other product categories. Miu Miu is Miuccia Prada's other soul, a brand for women who are particularly fashion forward and aware of avant-garde, trendy and sophisticated fashion and lifestyle.
Ralph Lauren
Under license since 2007, Ralph Lauren includes the following collections:
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren has made an indelible imprint on the fashion world with his collections for men and women. Today, his signature sensibilitiesHollywood romance, town and country heritage, cosmopolitan city-chic and Art Deco glamourextend into the world of Ralph Lauren eyewear. With their sleek modernity and classic proportions, each pair is a vivid expression of the designer's elegant, sophisticated style.
Polo Ralph Lauren
Representing Ralph Lauren's iconic heritage as a designer recognized throughout the world, Polo Ralph Lauren reflects a celebrated vision of classic yet spirited American style for men and women. Timeless and authentic, Polo Ralph Lauren is the enduring symbol of a modern-day American lifestyle: easy, energetic, young and cool.
Ralph
Fresh and romantic, Ralph is the epitome of fashion for young women. Ralph eyewear is an accessible expression of Ralph Lauren's spirit. Featuring the latest looks and trends in vibrant colors, as well as more classic looks, Ralph is all about young, fun, feminine style.
Starck Eyes
Starck Eyes, under license since 2013, joined our licensed brand portfolio as part of the Alain Mikli acquisition. Starck Eyes is the combination of two visionaries for an exceptional collection. Philippe Starck and Alain Mikli pooled their skills to give birth to the Starck Eyes collection in 1996. For this line, a technological revolution was developed: the "Biolink," a screwless hinge modeled after the human clavicle, which allows a full 360-degree movement for increased comfort and durability: Biomechanics in the service of vision.
Tiffany & Co.
Founded in 1837 in New York City, Tiffany has a rich heritage filled with celebrated events, artists and milestones that live on today in legendary style. We were the first company licensed to produce Tiffany's eyewear collection, which takes inspiration from the most iconic jewelry collection, celebrating stunning originality and enduring beauty. The first collection was launched in 2008.
Tory Burch
Tory Burch is an American attainable luxury lifestyle brand, which embodies the unique sense of style of its chairman, CEO and designer, Tory Burch. She has established herself as a favorite among women and celebrities alike for her contemporary, preppy-bohemian styles. Under license since 2009, the eyewear collection perfectly captures the Tory Burch brand identity: a classic but modern sensibility,
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eclectic esthetics renowned for its graphic prints, bold colors and exotic detailing are all signatures of the brand.
Versace
Versace is a prestigious fashion and lifestyle brand, symbol of Italian luxury world-wide. The collection is intended for men and women looking for a contemporary style that is strong in personality, sexy and sophisticated. The eyewear collection, under license since 2003, perfectly combines glamour and modern elegance, bearing the distinctive details taken from the graphic direction of the fashion house.
MANUFACTURING
Plants and Facilities
In 2014, our manufacturing facilities located in Italy, China, India, the United States and Brazil produced a combined total of approximately 83 million prescription frames and sunglasses.
Six of our manufacturing facilities are located in Italy, which is the center of our luxury eyewear production, and combine the tradition of Italian craftsmanship with the speed and efficiency of modern automation and represent 43% of our global production output. Five facilities are located in northeastern Italy, where most of the country's eyewear industry is based, and one is located near Turin.
Over the years, we have consolidated our manufacturing processes and allocated specific production roles and technologies to each plant. This has enabled us to improve both the productivity and quality of our manufacturing operations.
Three manufacturing facilities in China and a small plant in India collectively represent 43% of our production output. From 1998 to 2001, we operated the Dongguan plant in China's Guangdong province through our 50%-owned joint venture (Tristar Optical Company Ltd.) with a Japanese partner. In 2001, Luxottica acquired the remaining 50% interest in this Chinese manufacturer and, in 2006, we increased our manufacturing capacity in China through the construction of a new manufacturing facility to produce both metal and plastic frames. With the opening of this new facility, our annual average daily production in China increased by approximately 80% from 2005 to 2006. In 2010, our Tristar facility started producing plastic sun lenses to be paired with frames manufactured in the same location. In 2013, Luxottica integrated into its manufacturing processes a newly developed state-of-the-art plant, partly dedicated to decorations, utilizing techniques adapted from other industries.
The Foothill Ranch facility in California manufactures high-performance sunglasses and prescription frames and lenses and assembles most of Oakley's eyewear products. Oakley apparel, footwear, watches and certain goggles are produced by third-party manufacturers.
The manufacturing facility in Campinas, Brazil, acquired in January 2012, produces both plastic and metal frames for the Brazilian market. In September 2012, we launched the first locally designed and produced Vogue eyewear collection for this market. Between 2013 and 2014, we added the production of select Ray-Ban, Arnette and Oakley collections. In 2014, the Campinas plant produced approximately 50% of the eyewear sold by Luxottica in the Brazilian market.
Over the years, we have progressively diversified our technology mix from traditional metal, plastic injection and acetate slabs to include aluminum, wood, die casting, fabrics and LiteForce material. This technology shift has reduced the concentration of metal-based frames from 44% of total production output in 2010 to approximately 30% in 2014. The manufacturing process for all frames begins with the creation of precision tooling and molds based on prototypes developed by in-house designers and engineering staff.
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Metal Frames
Our manufacturing process for metal frames has approximately 70 different phases, beginning with the production of basic components such as rims, temples and bridges, which are produced through a molding process. These components are then welded together to form frames over numerous stages of detailed assembly work. Once assembled, the metal frames are treated with various coatings to improve their resistance and finish, and then prepared for lens fitting and packaging.
Plastic Frames
Plastic frames are manufactured using either a milling or an injection molding process. In the milling process, a computer controlled machine carves frames from colored acetate slabs. This process produces rims, temples and bridges that are then assembled, finished and packaged. In the injection molding process, plastic resins are liquefied and injected into molds. The plastic parts are then assembled, coated, finished and packaged.
We invest in research and development to strengthen our manufacturing processes on an on-going basis. As a result, we continue to invest to increase manufacturing capacity in Italy, China, the United States, Brazil and India, while benefitting from innovation and information technology enhancements. This commitment is expected to translate into increased efficiency and improved quality of our manufacturing processes.
Suppliers
The principal raw materials and components purchased for the manufacturing process include plastic resins, acetate sheets, metal alloys, crystal and plastic lenses and frame parts.
We purchase a substantial majority of raw materials in Europe and Asia and, to a lesser extent, in the United States. In addition, we use external suppliers for frames, lenses, eyewear cases, packaging materials, machinery and equipment, and for some logistic services. We also rely on outside suppliers for the production of Oakley apparel, footwear, accessories and watches.
Although, historically, prices of the raw materials used in our manufacturing process have been stable, in 2014, we continued to utilize a process to hedge the risk of price fluctuations for gold and palladium, in order to minimize the related impact. In November 2014, we entered into a jet fuel commodity swap transaction to hedge the risk of price fluctuations associated with fuel costs incurred in connection with our distribution operations. Regarding other raw materials and components used in our manufacturing process, we negotiate prices directly with our suppliers.
We have continued to build strong relationships with our major strategic suppliers. In 2014, we continued to monitor the risk management initiatives in our purchasing function to identify potential risks (impact and probability) and implemented mitigation actions if not already in place. With most suppliers, we maintain agreements that prohibit disclosure of our proprietary information or technology to third parties. Although our Oakley subsidiary relies on outside suppliers for most of the specific molded components of its glasses and goggles, it generally retains ownership of the molds used in the production of the components. Most of the components used in our products can be obtained from one or more alternative sources within a relatively short period of time, if necessary or desired. In addition, we have strengthened the in-house injection molding capability for sunglass lenses and built new ones on crystal lenses.
Essilor International ("Essilor") is one of the largest suppliers of our global retail operations, accounting for a significant portion of total North America retail lens merchandise purchases and related processing costs in 2014. We have entered into a number of long-term contracts with Essilor governing new products and services and have additional agreements directly with lens casters to ensure that we maintain adequate access to suppliers. Luxottica Retail North America Inc. ("Luxottica Retail N.A.") has
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long-term contracts with Essilor to finance, use and service anti-reflective equipment installed at selected LensCrafters in-store labs. In addition, EyeMed has a contract with Essilor to procure lab services for certain independent opticians, ophthalmologists and optometrists. We have not experienced any significant interruptions in our sourcing of supplies and we believe that the loss of Essilor or any of our other suppliers would not have a significant long-term impact on our operations.
Luxottica and Essilor have formed a long-term joint venture for the Australian and New Zealand markets. This alliance (which is majority controlled by Essilor) manages Eyebiz Laboratories Pty. Ltd., which provides lens manufacturing, finished lenses, and fitting services for Australia and New Zealand. This joint venture invested in a new, state-of-the-art facility in Thailand capable of providing 24-hour production seven days a week.
Quality Control
The satisfaction of wholesale clients and retail consumers is one of Luxottica's primary objectives. At Luxottica, achieving this objective means continually improving quality in every phase of our production and distribution cycles and this has been one of the drivers prompting our full vertical integration. By increasing production capacity in both developed and emerging countries, we are pursuing a crucial goal: delivering the same "Made in Luxottica" quality everywhere in the world. Wherever design and production of frames and sun lenses take place, a single quality system applies to every process involved, from product development to procurement, distribution, operational analysis and uniform and measurable performance management in the plants. Most of the manufacturing equipment that we use is specially designed and adapted for our manufacturing processes. This facilitates a rapid response to customer demand and an adherence to strict quality control standards.
Through on-going verification of precision and expertise in all the phases of production, we seek to manufacture a product of the highest quality. Quality and process control teams regularly inspect semi-finished products, verifying the feasibility of prototypes in the design phase, controlling standards in both the product development and production phases, subsequently checking for resistance to wear and tear and reviewing optical properties in relation to type of use. The manufacturing processes and materials used by primary suppliers are also controlled and certified.
We design products to meet or exceed relevant industry standards for safety, performance and durability. Throughout the development process, our eyewear products undergo extensive testing against standards established specifically for eyewear by ANSI (Z.80.3), ASTM, Standards Australia Limited (AS 1067) and EU (EN ISO 12312 and EN ISO 12870). These standards relate to product safety and performance and provide quantitative measures of optical quality, UV protection, light transmission and impact resistance.
To assure our quality standards worldwide and the right support for quality improvement, we have four main labs, one in each of Italy, China, Brazil and the United States. Each lab is responsible for establishing and maintaining the quality standards in the region where it is located and supports activities in engineering, production and market feedback management. All of our labs conduct the same tests using the same equipment and procedures, which are developed and approved in the central Italian lab.
In 2014, our Italian, Chinese and U.S. manufacturing facilities were granted accreditation by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) for performing ISO 8624 and ISO 12870 tests on eyewear. The A2LA accreditation program provides formal recognition of the technical competence and quality management utilized in performing these specific tests.
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Every year, we enhance the performance criteria used in our standards tests and introduce new requirements. As a result of the effectiveness of our quality control program, the return rate for defective merchandise manufactured by us has remained stable at approximately 1% in 2014.
DISTRIBUTION
Our Principal Markets
The following table presents our net sales by geographic market and segment for the periods indicated:
|
Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(Amounts in thousands of Euro) |
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
|||||||
European Retail |
211,818 | 170,000 | 134,020 | |||||||
European Wholesale |
1,295,283 | 1,272,789 | 1,183,279 | |||||||
North America Retail |
3,445,481 | 3,360,783 | 3,380,684 | |||||||
North America Wholesale |
841,290 | 763,000 | 742,205 | |||||||
Asia-Pacific Retail |
616,998 | 618,180 | 637,487 | |||||||
Asia-Pacific Wholesale |
432,910 | 386,365 | 347,544 | |||||||
Latam Retail(*) |
155,583 | 146,012 | 134,555 | |||||||
Latam Wholesale(*) |
350,428 | 324,228 | 299,086 | |||||||
Other Retail |
28,679 | 26,339 | 26,323 | |||||||
Other Wholesale |
273,847 | 244,914 | 200,959 | |||||||
| | | | | | | | | | |
Total |
7,652,317 | 7,312,611 | 7,086,142 | |||||||
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
Logistics
Our distribution system is globally integrated and supplied by a centralized manufacturing programming platform. The network linking the logistics and sales centers to the production facilities in Italy, China, the United States and Brazil also provides daily monitoring of global sales performance and inventory levels so that manufacturing resources can be programmed and warehouse stocks re-allocated to meet local market demand. This integrated system serves both the retail and wholesale businesses and is one of the most efficient and advanced logistics system in the industry, with 18 distribution centers worldwide, including 11 in the Americas, five in the Asia-Pacific region and two in Europe, which have allowed the Group to reduce worldwide logistics lead time year after year.
We have four main distribution centers (hubs) in strategic locations serving our major markets: Sedico (Italy), Atlanta, Georgia (United States), Ontario, California (United States) and Dongguan (China). They operate as centralized facilities incorporating a highly automated order management system, servicing other Group distribution centers or, in some markets, shipping products directly to customers, thereby further reducing delivery times and keeping stock levels low.
The Sedico hub was opened in 2001 and is one of the most technically advanced in the industry. In 2014, it managed approximately 20,000 orders per day, including eyeglasses and spare parts. Sedico ships approximately 210,000 units daily to customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, select U.S. markets and to the Group's distribution centers in the rest of the world, where they are then shipped to local customers. In addition, Sedico manages customized services, such as Ray-Ban Remix, providing direct global deliveries of these products.
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The Atlanta facility, opened in 1996, has consolidated several North America based facilities into a single state-of-the-art distribution center, which is located close to one of the major airport hubs of the United States. It serves both our retail and wholesale businesses in the North American market. This facility has a highly advanced cross-belt sorting system that can move up to 150,000 units per day.
The Dongguan hub was opened in 2006 and manages an average of 170,000 units per day. The growth in the Asia-Pacific region has made this hub a strategic part of the Group's distribution network. We continue to invest in ways to improve services and increase capacity in order to create even greater efficiencies in the region.
In 2013, the Group opened a distribution center in Jundiaí, Brazil, which is near São Paulo and offers targeted distribution services to customers.
Wholesale Distribution
Our wholesale distribution structure covers more than 130 countries, with approximately 50 commercial subsidiaries in major markets and approximately 100 independent distributors in other markets. Wholesale customers are mostly retailers of mid-to premium-priced eyewear, such as independent opticians, optical retail chains, specialty sun retailers, department stores and duty-free shops. We are currently seeking to further exploit new channels of distribution, such as department stores, travel retail and e-commerce.
Certain brands, including Oakley, also are distributed to sporting goods stores and specialty sports stores, including bike, surf, snow, skate, golf and motor sports stores.
In addition to giving wholesale customers access to some of the most popular brands, with a broad array of models tailored to the needs of each market, we also seek to provide them with pre- and post-sale services to enhance their business. These services are designed to provide customers with the best products in the best possible time frame.
We maintain close contact with our distributors in order to monitor sales and the quality of the points of sale that display our products.
In 2002, we introduced the STARS (Superior Turn Automatic Replenishment System) program within our wholesale division to provide third-party customers with an enhanced service that leverages our knowledge of local markets and brands to deliver fresh, high-turnover products and maintain optimal inventory levels at each point of sale. Strengthening the partnership between Luxottica and its customers, this program directly manages product selection activities, assortment planning and automatic replenishment of our products in the store on behalf of the third-party customer, utilizing ad hoc systems, tools and state-of-the-art planning techniques.
At the end of 2014, STARS served a total of over 4,000 stores in the major European markets, the United States, the Middle East and emerging markets.
Retail Distribution
With a strong portfolio of retail brands, we are well positioned to reach every segment of the market. The retail portfolio offers a variety of differentiation points for consumers, including the latest in designer and high-performance sun frames, advanced lens options, advanced eye care, everyday value and high-quality vision care health benefits.
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As of March 31, 2015, our retail business consisted of 6,457 corporate stores and 602 franchised locations as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
Africa and Middle East |
|
|
|||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
North America |
Asia- Pacific |
China / Hong Kong |
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Europe |
Latam |
Total |
|||||||||||||||||||
LensCrafters |
935 | | 269 | | | | 1,204 | |||||||||||||||
Pearle Vision |
177 | | | | | | 177 | |||||||||||||||
Sunglass Hut(1) |
1,880 | 282 | 17 | 327 | 131 | 243 | 2,880 | |||||||||||||||
ILORI and The Optical Shop of Aspen |
30 | | | | | | 30 | |||||||||||||||
Oakley retail locations(2) |
177 | 28 | | 9 | | | 214 | |||||||||||||||
Sears Optical |
630 | | | | | | 630 | |||||||||||||||
Target Optical |
347 | | | | | | 347 | |||||||||||||||
OPSM |
| 333 | | | | | 333 | |||||||||||||||
Laubman & Pank |
| 30 | | | | | 30 | |||||||||||||||
David Clulow(3) |
| | | 112 | | | 112 | |||||||||||||||
GMO(4) |
| | | | | 473 | 473 | |||||||||||||||
Oliver Peoples |
8 | | | | | | 8 | |||||||||||||||
Alain Mikli |
4 | 9 | 3 | 3 | | | 19 | |||||||||||||||
Franchised locations(5) |
381 | 159 | | 6 | 48 | 8 | 602 | |||||||||||||||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Total |
4,569 | 841 | 289 | 457 | 179 | 724 | 7,059 | |||||||||||||||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Our retail stores sell not only prescription frames and sunglasses that we manufacture but also a wide range of prescription frames, lenses and ophthalmic products manufactured by other companies. In 2014, net sales from our proprietary and licensed brands represented approximately 89% of the total net sales of frames by the retail division (approximately 88% in 2013).
Optical Retail
Our optical retail operations are anchored by leading brands such as LensCrafters and Pearle Vision in North America, OPSM and Laubman & Pank in Australia and New Zealand and GMO in Latin America. We also have a retail presence in China, where we operate in the premium eyewear market with LensCrafters. Due to the fragmented nature of the European retail market, we do not operate optical retail stores in Europe outside of the United Kingdom, where we operate a network of over 100 David Clulow stores, selling both prescription and sun products. As of March 31, 2015, our optical retail business consisted of approximately 3,688 retail locations globally.
LensCrafters
Founded in 1983, LensCrafters pioneered a revolutionary concept to combine eye care, eyewear and onsite labs to craft glasses in about an hour. Today, in terms of sales, LensCrafters is the largest optical retailer in North America.
Most LensCrafters stores are located in high-traffic commercial malls and shopping centers. A wide array of premium prescription frames and sunglasses, mostly made by Luxottica, and a wide range of high-quality lenses and optical products made by other suppliers, are available in most locations. In addition, many North American locations include either an independent or an employed doctor of
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optometry and a fully equipped, state-of-the-art lens laboratory with the technology to craft, surface, finish and fit lenses in about one hour.
As part of its underlying commitment to customer satisfaction and industry innovation, over the last few years, LensCrafters has invested in technology to enable a distinctive signature customer experience by including the AccuFit Digital Measurement technology, providing a lens fit with five times greater precision than traditional methods. The majority of in-store labs offer the anti-reflective coating capability supporting the "one hour service" concept. LensCrafters continues its investment with iPads in all stores to enhance the customer's omni channel experience, and a digital eye exam experience with AccuExam in certain locations.
In 2006, Luxottica began to expand the LensCrafters brand in China by rebranding the stores that we acquired through the acquisition of local retail chains in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and Hong Kong. As of March 31, 2015, we operated a retail network of 1,204 LensCrafters stores, of which 935 stores are in North America and 269 stores are in China and Hong Kong.
Pearle Vision
Acquired by Luxottica in 2004, Pearle Vision is one of the largest franchised optical retailers in North America. It is dedicated to improving the optical experience by allowing local business operators to focus on providing genuine eye care in their respective neighborhoods.
As of March 31, 2015, Pearle Vision operated 177 corporate stores and had 380 franchise locations throughout North America.
Retail Licensed Brands
With the acquisition of Cole National in 2004, Luxottica acquired a network of retail locations in North America operating under the brand names of their respective host retail stores. These licensed "retail brands" are Sears Optical and Target Optical and offer consumers the convenience of taking care of their optical needs while shopping at their preferred retailers. These two brands have precise marketing positions within Luxottica, reinforced by favorable service levels, strong reputations and some of our most well-known brands including Ray-Ban and Vogue.
As of March 31, 2015, Luxottica operated 630 Sears Optical and 347 Target Optical locations throughout North America.
OPSM
OPSM is a leading eye care and eyewear retailer in Australia and New Zealand, with more than 80 years of history. Through its world-class technology and exceptional service, OPSM's goal is to raise the standard of eye health and eye care. In addition to its eye care services, OPSM is renowned for its range of optical frames and sunglasses from international brands.
As of March 31, 2015, Luxottica operated 290 corporate-owned stores and 50 franchise locations throughout Australia. OPSM also has 43 corporate-owned stores in New Zealand and eight franchise locations, mainly in large urban areas.
Laubman & Pank
Laubman & Pank is renowned for high quality eye care and personalized service in regional Australian markets. As of March 31, 2015, Luxottica owned 30 stores and there were 16 franchise locations throughout Australia.
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GMO
GMO, an optical market leader in Latin America, became a part of Luxottica Group in July 2011, following the acquisition of Multiópticas Internacional. Since its beginning in the late 1990s, GMO has developed a reputation for optical retail excellence among consumers in Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia with its strong Opticas GMO and Econópticas retail brands. As of March 31, 2015, Luxottica operated 369 Opticas GMO stores and 104 Econópticas stores.
EyeMed Vision Care
EyeMed Vision Care is the United States' second largest vision benefits company in terms of managed care membership, servicing approximately 39 million members in large and medium-sized companies as well as government entities. Managed care members are usually enrolled through employer-sponsored benefits sold directly by EyeMed or bundled with benefits offered by insurance companies. EyeMed offers the largest provider network in the United States featuring a diverse range of independent practitioners and retail locations, including Luxottica optical retail locations.
Lens Laboratories
In addition to LensCrafters' over 900 in-store labs, we operate three central lens surfacing/finishing labs in North America and an additional lab based in China dedicated to North American optical retail. Leveraging the combined network capabilities of in-store and central labs, Luxottica lens operations reduce the time and cost to surface and finish lenses while improving the quality of service. All of our labs use state-of-the-art technologies to meet growing demand. The central laboratories serve all of our North American optical retail stores.
In addition, we operate Oakley optical lens laboratories in the United States, Ireland and Japan. These labs provide Oakley prescription lenses to the North and South American, European and Asian markets, respectively, enabling them to achieve expeditious delivery, better quality control and higher optical standards.
Most of the Australian laboratory needs are provided by the Eyebiz Laboratory, a joint venture between Luxottica and Essilor formed in February 2010.
E-commerce
Our Oakley, Ray-Ban and Sunglass Hut e-commerce websites serve as important sales channels that complement Luxottica's retail operations and international distribution. The websites drive brand awareness and allow consumers to purchase products efficiently, extending superior customer service into the digital space.
Ray-Ban.com was launched in the United States in 2009 and is the place to go for a premium Ray-Ban assortment, exclusive services and a customer experience that is unique to the brand. The path of international e-commerce expansion for the Ray-Ban brand is closely tied to Ray-Ban Remix, the online customization service, which was initially launched in Europe in 2013. The success of the service led to Remix launches in the United States, Canada and China in 2014.
Oakley.com provides an e-commerce channel across multiple markets including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and 16 countries in Europe.
Launched in 2008, SunglassHut.com has become the digital destination for consumers looking to find the latest trends and hottest products in premium sunglasses. In 2014, the United Kingdom and Brazil joined the United States, Canada and Australia in offering online shopping on its local Sunglass Hut websites. Additionally, Sunglass Hut redesigned its mobile and desktop sites across all countries to enhance customer experiences, storytelling and business performance.
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In 2014, Luxottica acquired glasses.com, an advanced digital player in the North American eyewear industry. Glasses.com developed an exclusive virtual mirroring technology accessible through smartphones or tablets that uses a 3D image of the user's face to allow for multiple try-on options with real likeness.
The e-commerce strategy is to enter additional markets as the business matures. For example, we formed strategic partnerships in China to open both Ray-Ban and Oakley stores within Tmall, the largest local online mall.
Sun and Luxury Retail
Sunglass Hut
Since the acquisition of Sunglass Hut in 2001, we have become a world leader in the specialty sunglass retail business.
Founded in 1971 as a small kiosk in a Miami mall, Sunglass Hut has grown since then into one of the world's leading destinations for top brands, latest trends and exclusive styles of high-quality fashion and performance sunglasses. Stores can be found in fashionable shopping districts across the globe, from the Americas, Europe and the Middle East to Australia, South Africa, Hong Kong and beyond, providing consumers with a fun, innovative fashion and shopping experience.
Sunglass Hut has been expanding its presence in developed markets and emerging markets, including Brazil, Mexico, Chile and India, while making its mark in Southeast Asia, with new openings in Malaysia and Indonesia. Furthermore, Sunglass Hut aims to provide a unified experience across all customer touchpoints (online, in-store, social and mobile), offering customers a premier experience and, utilizing in-store digital tools, access to the maximum assortment of sunglasses in every store location. As part of this strategy, the brand is investing in the digitalization of the "in-store" shopping experience, particularly in North America, Brazil, the United Kingdom and Australia.
As of March 31, 2015, Sunglass Hut operated a retail network of 2,986 stores worldwide, including 2,880 corporate stores across North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South Africa and Latin America and 106 franchise locations in North America, India and the Middle East.
ILORI
ILORI is Luxottica's high-end fashion sun retail brand, with 17 stores in North America as of March 31, 2015, including flagship stores in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City and in Beverly Hills, California. ILORI caters to exclusive clientele, offering a richer purchasing experience for eyewear in prestige locations, featuring sophisticated luxury collections, exclusive niche brands and highly personalized service.
The Optical Shop of Aspen
Founded in the 1970s, The Optical Shop of Aspen is known in the optical industry for its luxury brands for both prescription frames and sunglasses and its first class customer service. As of March 31, 2015, we operated 13 stores in some of the most upscale and exclusive locations throughout the United States.
Oliver Peoples
We operate 12 luxury retail stores under the Oliver Peoples brand. The Oliver Peoples brand retail stores only offer Oliver Peoples and Paul Smith products. As of March 31, 2015, four Oliver Peoples retail locations are operated under license in Tokyo and Los Angeles.
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Alain Mikli
We operate 21 luxury retail stores under the Alain Mikli brand of which two are franchised. The stores are located in the most prestigious cities worldwide.
David Clulow
We operate David Clulow, a premium optical retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The brand emphasizes service, quality and fashion. Its marketing is targeted to reinforce these brand values and build long-term relationships with customers. In addition to operating optical stores, David Clulow operates a number of designer sunglass concessions in up-market department stores, further reinforcing our position as a premium brand in the United Kingdom. As of March 31, 2015, David Clulow operated 39 corporate owned locations (including five joint ventures), one franchise locations and 73 sun stores/concessions.
Oakley "O" Stores and Vaults
As of March 31, 2015, we operated 249 Oakley "O" Stores and Vaults worldwide (including 35 franchise locations), offering a full range of Oakley products including sunglasses, apparel, footwear and accessories. These stores are designed and merchandised to immerse consumers in the Oakley brand through innovative use of product presentation, graphics and original audio and visual elements. In the United States, Oakley "O" Stores are in major shopping centers. Outside of the United States, Oakley's retail operations are principally located in Mexico, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
MARKETING
Our marketing and advertising activities are designed primarily to enhance our image and our brand portfolio and to drive traffic into our retail locations.
Advertising expenses amounted to approximately 6.7% and 6.6% of our net sales in 2014 and 2013, respectively.
Marketing Strategy for Our Wholesale Business
Our marketing strategy for the wholesale business is focused on promoting our extensive brand portfolio, our corporate image and the value of our products. Advertising is extremely important in supporting our marketing strategy, and therefore we engage in extensive advertising activities, both through various media (mainly print, billboard advertising and digital media) directed at the end consumer of our products and at the point of sale (displays, counter cards, catalogs, posters and product literature).
In addition, we advertise in publications targeted to independent practitioners and other market specific magazines, participate in major industry trade fairs and organize and sponsor our own events, where we promote our collections and recommend ideal assortments.
We also benefit from brand-name advertising carried out by licensors of our designer brands intended to promote the image of the eyewear collections. Our advertising and promotional efforts in respect of our licensed brands are developed in coordination with our licensors. We contribute to the designer a specified percentage of our sales of the designer line to be devoted to its advertising and promotion.
As part of our marketing plan, public relations programs and activities play a key role globally to enhance and elevate the eyewear category, our proprietary and licensed brands as well as our collections with a view to targeting influential editors, consumer and trade media, celebrities and other VIPs.
33
For our Oakley brand, we also use less conventional marketing methods, including sports marketing, involvement in grass-roots sporting events and targeted product allocations. The exposure generated by athletes wearing Oakley products during competition and in other media appearances serves as a more powerful endorsement of product performance and style than traditional commercial endorsements and results in strong brand recognition and authenticity on a global level.
Marketing Strategy for Our Retail Business
We engage in promotional, advertising and public relations activities through our retail business with the objectives of attracting customers to the stores, promoting sales, building our image and the visibility of our retail brands throughout the world and encouraging customer loyalty and repeat purchases.
The "O" Stores and Vaults are designed and merchandised to immerse the consumer in the Oakley brand through innovative use of product presentation, graphics and original audio and visual elements.
A considerable amount of our retail marketing budget is dedicated to direct marketing activities, such as communications with customers through mailings and catalogs. Our direct marketing activities benefit from our large database of customer information and investment in customer relationships, marketing technologies and skills in the United States and in Australia. Another significant portion of the marketing budget is allocated to broadcast and print media, such as television, radio and magazines, designed to reach the broad markets in which we operate with image building messages about our retail business.
ANTI-COUNTERFEITING POLICY
Intellectual property is one of our most important assets and is protected through the registration and enforcement of our trademarks and patents around the world. Our commitment is demonstrated through the on-going results of our anti-counterfeiting activities and increased leveraging of our global organization. Trademarks and products from market leaders are increasingly copied and the implementation of a strong global anti-counterfeiting program allows us to send a strong message both to infringers and to our authorized distribution network. This program allows us, on the one hand, to exercise our rights against retailers of counterfeit eyewear and wholesalers and manufacturers that supply them and, on the other hand, to send a message to our authorized distributors that we value our intellectual property and will work diligently to protect it.
Through a strong investigative network, especially in China, we have been able to identify key sources of counterfeit goods, to assist local law enforcement in investigating these sources and, when applicable, to file legal actions against the counterfeiters.
Additionally, we continue to consolidate and strengthen our cooperation with customs organizations around the world, which helps to stop, seize and destroy hundreds of thousands of counterfeit goods each year. We are a member of the major global anti-counterfeiting organizations including the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC), the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the Quality Brands Protection Committee (QBPC).
We dedicate considerable efforts to monitoring the trafficking of counterfeit goods through the internet, and work actively to remove counterfeit eyewear from certain popular online auction platforms and shut down the websites that violate our intellectual property rights through the sale of counterfeit products or the unauthorized use of our trademarks.
TRADEMARKS, TRADE NAMES AND PATENTS
Our principal trademarks or trade names include Luxottica, Ray-Ban, Oliver Peoples, Oakley, Persol, Vogue, Arnette, LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, ILORI, Pearle Vision, OPSM, Laubman & Pank, and the
34
Oakley ellipsoid "O" and square "O" logos. Our principal trademarks are registered worldwide. Other than Luxottica, Ray-Ban, Oakley, LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, Pearle Vision, OPSM and the Oakley ellipsoid "O" and square "O" logos, we do not believe that any single trademark or trade name is material to our business or results of operations. The collection of Oakley and Ray-Ban products accounted for 11.7% and 27.0%, respectively, of our net sales in 2014. We believe that our trademarks have significant value for the marketing of our products and that having distinctive marks that are readily identifiable is important for creating and maintaining a market for our products, identifying our brands and distinguishing our products from those of our competitors. Therefore, we utilize a combination of logos, names and other distinctive elements on nearly all of our products.
We utilize patented and proprietary technologies and precision manufacturing processes in the production of our products. As of March 31, 2015, we held a portfolio of over 750 (mostly Oakley-related) patents worldwide that protect our designs and innovations.
The design patents largely protect the distinctive designs of Oakley's innovative products, including its sunglasses, goggles, prescription eyewear, watches and footwear. Some of the most important utility patents relate to the following categories: innovations in lens technology and the associated optical advances; electronically enabled eyewear; innovations in frame design and functionality; biased, articulating and dimensionally stable eyewear; and interchangeable lenses.
See Item 3"Key InformationRisk FactorsIf we are unable to protect our proprietary rights, our sales might suffer, and we may incur significant additional costs to defend such rights."
LICENSE AGREEMENTS
We have entered into license agreements to manufacture and distribute prescription frames and sunglasses with numerous designers. These license agreements typically have terms ranging from four to ten years, but may be terminated early by either party for a variety of reasons, including non-payment of royalties, failure to meet minimum sales thresholds, product alteration and, under certain agreements, a change in control of Luxottica Group S.p.A.
Under these license agreements, we are required to pay a royalty which generally ranges from 6% to 14% of the net sales of the relevant collection, which may be offset by any guaranteed minimum royalty payments. The license agreements also provide for a mandatory marketing contribution that generally amounts to between 5% and 10% of net sales.
We believe that early termination of one or a small number of the current license agreements would not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition. Upon any early termination of any existing license agreement, we expect that we would seek to enter into alternative arrangements with other designers to reduce any negative impact of such a termination.
The table below summarizes the principal terms of our most significant license agreements.
Licensor |
Licensed Marks |
Territory |
Expiration |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giorgio Armani S.p.A. |
Giorgio Armani Emporio Armani A/X Armani Exchange |
Worldwide exclusive license | December 31, 2022 |
|||
Brooks Brothers Group, Inc.* |
Brooks Brothers |
Worldwide exclusive license |
December 31, 2019 |
|||
Burberry Limited |
Burberry |
Worldwide exclusive license |
December 31, 2015 |
|||
Bulgari S.p.A. |
Bulgari |
Worldwide exclusive license |
December 31, 2020 |
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Licensor |
Licensed Marks |
Territory |
Expiration |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chanel Group |
Chanel |
Worldwide exclusive license |
December 31, 2018 (renewable until December 31, 2020) |
|||
Coach, Inc. |
Coach Poppy |
Worldwide exclusive license |
June 30, 2016 |
|||
Dolce & Gabbana S.r.l. |
Dolce & Gabbana |
Worldwide exclusive license |
December 31, 2015 |
|||
Donna Karan Studio LLC |
DKNY |
Worldwide exclusive license |
June 30, 2016 |
|||
Gianni Versace S.p.A. |
Gianni Versace |
Worldwide exclusive license |
December 31, 2022 |
|||
Michael Kors Group |
Michael Kors |
Worldwide exclusive license |
December 31, 2024 |
|||
Paul Smith Limited |
Paul Smith |
Worldwide exclusive license |
December 31, 2018 |
|||
Prada S.A. |
Prada |
Worldwide exclusive license |
December 31, 2018 |
|||
PHS General Design SA |
Starck Eyes |
Worldwide exclusive license |
December 31, 2018 |
|||
PRL USA Inc. |
Polo by Ralph Lauren |
Worldwide exclusive license |
March 31, 2017 |
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Licensor |
Licensed Marks |
Territory |
Expiration |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stella McCartney Limited |
Stella McCartney |
Worldwide exclusive license |
December 31, 2014**** |
|||
Tiffany and Company |
TIFFANY & CO. |
Exclusive license in United States of America including all possessions and territories thereof, Canada, Mexico, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Panama, Netherlands Antilles, South America (excluding Argentina), Middle East (excluding Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan and Kuwait), Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Holland, Spain, Belgium, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia Republic, Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Georgia, Ukraine, Baltic Countries, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, China, India, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Australia |
December 31, 2017 |
|||
Tory Burch LLC |
Tory Burch |
Worldwide exclusive license |
December 31, 2019 |
|||
| | | | | | |
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REGULATORY MATTERS
Our products are subject to governmental health and safety regulations in most of the countries where they are sold, including the United States. We regularly inspect our production techniques and standards to ensure compliance with applicable requirements. Historically, compliance with such requirements has not had a material effect on our operations.
In addition, governments throughout the world impose import duties and tariffs on products being imported into their countries. Although in the past we have not experienced situations in which the duties or tariffs imposed materially impacted our operations, we can provide no assurances that this will be true in the future.
Our past and present operations, including owned and leased real property, are subject to extensive and changing environmental laws and regulations pertaining to the discharge of materials into the environment, the handling and disposition of waste or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations. However, we cannot predict with any certainty that we will not in the future incur liability under environmental statutes and regulations with respect to contamination of sites formerly or currently owned or operated by us (including contamination caused by prior owners and operators of such sites) and the off-site disposal of hazardous substances.
Our retail operations are also subject to various legal requirements in many countries in which we operate our business that regulate the permitted relationships between licensed optometrists or ophthalmologists, who primarily perform eye examinations and prescribe corrective lenses, and opticians, who fill such prescriptions and sell eyeglass frames.
We produce and sell to the U.S. government, including the U.S. military, and to other governments, certain Oakley and ESS protective eyewear and other products. As a result, our operations are subject to various regulatory requirements, including the necessity of obtaining government approvals for certain products, country-of-origin restrictions on materials in certain products, U.S.-imposed restrictions on sales to specific countries, foreign import controls, and various decrees, laws, taxes, regulations, interpretations and court judgments that are not always fully developed and that may be retroactively or arbitrarily applied. Our EyeMed subsidiaries are also U.S. government subcontractors and, as a result, we must comply with, and are affected by, the U.S. laws and regulations related to conducting business with the U.S. government. Additionally, we could be subject to periodic audits by U.S. government personnel for contract and other regulatory compliance.
COMPETITION
We believe that our integrated business model, innovative technology and design, integrated sunglass manufacturing capabilities, effective brand and product marketing efforts and vigorous protection of our intellectual property rights are important aspects of competition and are among our primary competitive advantages.
The prescription frame and sunglasses industry is highly competitive and fragmented. As we market our products throughout the world, we compete with many prescription frame and sunglass companies in various local markets. The major competitive factors include fashion trends, brand recognition, marketing strategies, distribution channels and the number and range of products offered. We believe that some of our largest competitors in the design, manufacturing and wholesale distribution of prescription frames and sunglasses are De Rigo S.p.A., Marchon Eyewear, Inc., Marcolin S.p.A., Safilo Group S.p.A., Silhouette International, Schmied AG and Maui Jim, Inc.
Several of our most significant competitors in the manufacture and distribution of eyewear are significant vendors to our retail division. Our success in these markets will depend on, among other things, our ability to manage an efficient distribution network and to market our products effectively as well as the popularity and market acceptance of our brands. See Item 3"Key InformationRisk
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FactorsIf we are unable to successfully introduce new products and develop our brands, our future sales and operating performance may suffer" and "If we fail to maintain an efficient distribution and production network or if there is a disruption to our critical manufacturing plants or distribution network in highly competitive markets, our business, results of operations and financial condition could suffer."
The highly competitive optical retail market in North America includes a large number of small independent competitors and several national and regional chains of optical superstores. In recent years, a number of factors, including consolidation among retail chains and the emergence of optical departments in discount retailers, have resulted in significant competition within the optical retailing industry. We compete against several large optical retailers in North America, including Wal-Mart and Visionworks, and, in the sunglasses area, department stores and numerous sunglass retail chains and outlet centers. In Australia and New Zealand, we compete against retail chains, including Specsavers, as well as independent optical stores and online retailers. Our optical retail operations emphasize product quality, selection, customer service and convenience. We do not compete primarily on the basis of price.
We believe that Oakley and our other sports brands are leaders in non-prescription sports eyewear, where they mostly compete with smaller sunglass and goggle companies in various niches and a number of large eyewear and sports products companies that market eyewear.
The managed vision care market in North America is highly competitive. EyeMed has a number of competitors, including Vision Service Plan ("VSP"), Davis Vision and Spectera. While VSP was founded almost 58 years ago and is the current market leader, EyeMed's consistent year-over-year growth has enabled us to become the second largest market competitor in terms of funded lives. EyeMed competes based on its ability to offer a network and plan design with the goal of delivering overall value based on the price, accessibility and administrative services provided to clients and their members.
SEASONALITY
We have historically experienced sales volume fluctuations by quarter due to seasonality associated with the sale of sunglasses, which represented 55.7% and 53.9% of our sales in 2014 and 2013, respectively. As a result, our net sales are typically higher in the second quarter, which includes increased sales to wholesale customers and increased sales in our Sunglass Hut stores, and lower in the first quarter, as sunglass sales are lower in the cooler climates of North America, Europe and Northern Asia. These seasonal variations could affect the comparability of our results from period to period. Our retail fiscal year is either a 53-week year or a 52-week year, which also can affect the comparability of our results from period to period. When a 53-week year occurs, we generally add the extra week to the fourth quarter. A 53-week year occurs in five- to six-year intervals and occurred in fiscal 2014 in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and South Africa.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
We are a holding company, and the majority of our operations are conducted through our wholly-owned subsidiaries. We operate in two industry segments: (i) manufacturing and wholesale distribution, and (ii) retail distribution. In the retail segment, we primarily conduct our operations through LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, Pearle Vision, the retail licensed brands and OPSM. In the manufacturing and wholesale distribution segment, we operate through 12 manufacturing plants and approximately 50 geographically oriented wholesale distribution subsidiaries. See "Distribution" for a breakdown of
39
the geographic regions. The significant subsidiaries controlled by Luxottica Group S.p.A., including holding companies, are:
|
Country of Organization |
Percentage of Ownership |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Subsidiary |
||||||
Manufacturing |
||||||
Luxottica S.r.l. |
Italy | 100 | % | |||
Luxottica Tristar (Dongguan) Optical Co., Ltd. |
China | 100 | % | |||
Distribution |
||||||
Luxottica USA LLC |
United States | 100 | % | |||
Luxottica Retail North America Inc. |
United States | 100 | % | |||
Sunglass Hut Trading, LLC |
United States | 100 | % | |||
OPSM Group Pty Limited |
Australia | 100 | % | |||
Luxottica Trading and Finance Limited |
Ireland | 100 | % | |||
Holding companies |
||||||
Luxottica U.S. Holdings Corp. |
United States | 100 | % | |||
Luxottica South Pacific Holdings Pty Limited |
Australia | 100 | % | |||
Luxottica (China) Investment Co. Ltd. |
China | 100 | % | |||
Oakley, Inc.(1) |
United States | 100 | % | |||
Arnette Optic Illusions, Inc. |
United States | 100 | % | |||
The United States Shoe Corporation |
United States | 100 | % | |||
| | | | | | |
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PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT
Our corporate headquarters is located at Piazzale L. Cadorna 3, Milan 20123, Italy. Information regarding the location, use and approximate size of our principal offices and facilities as of March 31, 2015 is set forth below:
|
|
|
Approximate Area in Square Feet |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Owned/ Leased |
||||||
Location |
Use |
|||||||
Milan, Italy |
Corporate headquarters | Leased | 174,875 | |||||
Milan, Italy |
Offices (former corporate headquarters) | Owned | 115,716 | |||||
Agordo, Italy(1) |
Administrative offices and manufacturing facility | Owned | 926,200 | |||||
Mason (Ohio), United States |
North American retail division headquarters | Owned | 415,776 | |||||
Atlanta (Georgia), United States |
North American distribution center | Owned | 183,521 | |||||
Campinas, Brazil |
Manufacturing and research facility, administrative offices and related space | Leased | 484,391 | |||||
Port Washington (New York), United States |
U.S. corporate headquarters and wholesale division | Leased | 35,000 | |||||
Foothill Ranch/Lake Forest (California), United States(2) |
Oakley headquarters, manufacturing facility and ophthalmic laboratory | Owned | 850,713 | |||||
Ontario (California), United States |
Oakley eyewear, apparel and footwear distribution centers | Leased | 643,301 | |||||
Macquarie Park, Australia |
Offices | Leased | 43,572 | |||||
Revesby, Australia |
Distribution center | Leased | 61,054 | |||||
Cincinnati (Ohio), United States |
Warehouse, distribution center | Leased | 96,000 | |||||
Dallas (Texas), United States |
Ophthalmic laboratory, distribution center, office | Leased | 128,869 | |||||
Memphis (Tennessee), United States |
Ophthalmic laboratory | Leased | 59,350 | |||||
Columbus (Ohio), United States |
Ophthalmic laboratory, distribution center | Leased | 121,036 | |||||
Salt Lake City (Utah), United States |
Ophthalmic laboratory, warehouse, offices | Leased | 47,171 | |||||
St. Albans (Hertfordshire), United Kingdom |
Offices | Leased | 15,600 | |||||
Dongguan, China(1)(3) |
Office, manufacturing facility, land and dormitories | Leased | 4,571,088 | |||||
Shanghai, China(4) |
Offices | Leased | 51,643 | |||||
Bhiwadi, India(5) |
Manufacturing facility, administrative offices | Leased | 343,474 | |||||
Rovereto, Italy |
Frame manufacturing facility | Owned | 228,902 | |||||
Sedico, Italy(1) |
Distribution center | Owned | 392,312 | |||||
Cencenighe, Italy |
Semi-finished product manufacturing facility | Owned | 59,892 | |||||
Lauriano, Italy |
Frame and crystal lenses manufacturing facility | Owned | 292,078 | |||||
Pederobba, Italy(1)(6) |
Frame manufacturing facility | Owned | 191,722 | |||||
Sedico, Italy(1) |
Frame manufacturing facility | Owned | 342,830 | |||||
Izmir, Turkey(7) |
Turkish headquarters, offices, warehouse and frame manufacturing facility | Leased | 92,750 | |||||
Santiago, Chile |
Offices, warehouse, finishing lab | Leased | 41,484 | |||||
São Paulo, Brazil |
Administrative offices | Leased | 51,010 | |||||
Jundiaí, Brazil |
Distribution center | Leased | 81,698 | |||||
Manhattan (New York), United States |
Offices | Leased | 14,406 | |||||
| | | | | | | | |
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A substantial number of our retail stores are leased. See "DistributionRetail Distribution" above for more information about our retail locations and a breakdown of geographic regions. All of our retail store leases expire between 2015 and 2025 and have terms that we believe are generally reasonable and reflective of market conditions.
We believe that our current facilities (including our manufacturing facilities) are adequate to meet our present and reasonably foreseeable needs. There are no encumbrances on any of our principal owned properties.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
On February 27, 2015, the Group terminated its Euro 500 million multicurrency (Euro/U.S. dollars) revolving credit facility. As of the date of termination, the facility was undrawn. For a discussion of this facility see "The Euro 500 Million Multicurrency Revolving Credit Facility" in Item 5"Operating and Financial Review and ProspectsLiquidity and Capital ResourcesOur Indebtedness."
ITEM 4A. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 5. OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB.
Overview
We operate in two industry segments: (i) manufacturing and wholesale distribution and (ii) retail distribution. Through our manufacturing and wholesale distribution segment, we are engaged in the design, manufacture, wholesale distribution and marketing of proprietary brand and designer lines of mid- to premium-priced prescription frames and sunglasses and, through Oakley, of performance optics products. We operate in our retail segment principally through our retail brands, which include LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut (including those in host stores), Pearle Vision, ILORI, The Optical Shop of Aspen, GMO, OPSM, Laubman & Pank, Oakley "O" Stores and Vaults, David Clulow and our retail
42
licensed brands (Sears Optical and Target Optical). As of December 31, 2014, the retail segment consisted of 6,471 corporate-owned retail locations and 613 franchised locations as follows:
|
|
|
China/ Hong Kong |
|
Africa and Middle East |
|
|
|||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
North America |
Asia- Pacific |
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Europe |
Latam |
Total |
|||||||||||||||||||
LensCrafters |
942 | | 262 | | | | 1,204 | |||||||||||||||
Pearle Vision |
186 | | | | | | 186 | |||||||||||||||
Sunglass Hut(1) |
1,901 | 283 | 12 | 323 | 131 | 232 | 2,882 | |||||||||||||||
ILORI and The Optical Shop of Aspen |
30 | | | | | | 30 | |||||||||||||||
Oakley retail locations(2) |
178 | 28 | | 9 | | | 215 | |||||||||||||||
Sears Optical |
638 | | | | | | 638 | |||||||||||||||
Target Optical |
346 | | | | | | 346 | |||||||||||||||
OPSM |
| 340 | | | | | 340 | |||||||||||||||
Laubman & Pank |
| 30 | | | | | 30 | |||||||||||||||
David Clulow(3) |
| | | 99 | | | 99 | |||||||||||||||
GMO(4) |
| | | | | 474 | 474 | |||||||||||||||
Oliver Peoples |
8 | | | | | | 8 | |||||||||||||||
Alain Mikli |
4 | 9 | 3 | 3 | | | 19 | |||||||||||||||
Franchised locations(5) |
398 | 153 | | 8 | 46 | 8 | 613 | |||||||||||||||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Total |
4,631 | 843 | 277 | 442 | 177 | 714 | 7,084 | |||||||||||||||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
LensCrafters, ILORI, Pearle Vision, our retail licensed brands (Sears Optical and Target Optical), Oakley (Oakley "O" Stores and Vaults), Sunglass Icon, The Optical Shop of Aspen and Oliver Peoples have retail distribution operations located throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, while OPSM and Laubman & Pank operate retail outlets located in Australia and New Zealand. Sunglass Hut is a leading retailer of sunglasses worldwide based on sales in Euro. In 2006, we began operating retail locations in mainland China and currently we have rebranded the acquired stores to our premium LensCrafters brand in mainland China and Hong Kong. In 2008, we acquired David Clulow, a premium optical, retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In 2011, we completed our acquisition of Multiópticas Internacional. Our net sales consist of direct sales of finished products manufactured with our own brand names or our licensed brands to opticians and other independent retailers through our wholesale distribution channel and sales directly to consumers through our retail division.
Demand for our products, particularly our higher-end designer lines, is largely dependent on the discretionary spending power of the consumers in the markets in which we operate. See Item 3"Key InformationRisk FactorsIf we do not correctly predict future economic conditions and changes in consumer preferences, our sales of premium products and profitability could suffer." We have also historically experienced sales volume fluctuations by quarter due to seasonality associated with the sale of sunglasses. As a result, our net sales are typically higher during the summer and the winter holiday season.
43
As a result of our numerous acquisitions and the subsequent expansion of our business activities in the United States through these acquisitions, our results of operations, which are reported in Euro, are susceptible to currency rate fluctuations between the Euro and the U.S. dollar. The Euro/U.S. dollar exchange rate has fluctuated from an average exchange rate of Euro 1.00 = U.S. $1.2848 in 2012 to Euro 1.00 = U.S. $1.3277 in 2013 to Euro 1.00 = U.S. $1.3285 in 2014. Additionally, with the acquisition of OPSM, our results of operations have been rendered susceptible to currency fluctuations between the Euro and the Australian dollar. Although we engage in certain foreign currency hedging activities to mitigate the impact of these fluctuations, they have impacted our reported revenues and expenses during the periods discussed herein. See Item 11"Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market RiskForeign Exchange Sensitivity" and Item 3"Key InformationRisk FactorsIf the U.S. dollar or the Australian dollar weakens relative to the Euro or the Chinese Yuan strengthens relative to the Euro, our profitability as a consolidated group could suffer."
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
We prepare our Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with IFRS, which require management to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. We believe that our most critical accounting policies and estimates relate to the following:
Revenue Recognition
Revenues include sales of merchandise (both wholesale and retail), insurance and administrative fees associated with the Company's managed vision care business, eye exams and related professional services and sales of merchandise to franchisees, along with other revenues from franchisees such as royalties based on sales and initial franchise fee revenues.
Revenue is recognized when (a) the significant risks and rewards of the ownership of goods are transferred, (b) neither continuing managerial involvement to a degree usually associated with ownership nor effective control over the goods sold is retained by the Company, (c) the amount of revenue can be measured reliably, (d) it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the Company and (e) the costs incurred or to be incurred in respect of the transaction can be measured reliably.
The Group records an accrual for amounts estimated to be returned by customers against sales revenues. We have estimated and accrued for the amounts to be returned in the subsequent period. This estimate is based on our right of return policies and practices along with historical data and sales trends. Changes to these policies and practices or a change in the trend of returns could lead to actual returns being different from the amounts estimated and accrued.
Also included in retail division revenues are managed vision care revenues consisting of (i) insurance revenues which are recognized when earned over the terms of the respective contractual relationships and (ii) administrative services revenues which are recognized when services are provided during the contract period. Accruals are established for amounts due under these relationships based on an estimate of uncollectible amounts. Our insurance contracts require us to estimate the potential costs and exposures over the life of the agreement such that the amount charged to the customers will cover these costs. To mitigate the exposure risk, these contracts are usually short-term in nature. However, if we do not accurately estimate the future exposure and risks associated with these contracts,
44
we may suffer losses as we would not be able to cover our costs incurred with revenues from the customer.
Income Taxes
Income taxes are recorded in accordance with IAS 12, Income Taxes, which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in our Consolidated Financial Statements or tax returns. Under this method, deferred tax liabilities and assets are determined based on the difference between the consolidated financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using the tax rates that are expected to apply to the period when the asset is realized or the liability is settled, based on tax rates that have been enacted or substantially enacted by the end of the reporting period. The realization of deferred tax assets depends, among other things, on the Group's ability to generate sufficient taxable income in future years and the reversal of taxable temporary differences, taking into account any restrictions on the carry-forward of tax losses. The estimated tax rates and the deferred tax assets and liabilities recorded are based on information available at the time of calculation. This information is subject to change due to subsequent tax audits performed by different taxing jurisdictions and changes in corporate structure not contemplated at the time of calculation, as well as various other factors.
In addition the Group is subject to different tax jurisdictions. The determination of tax liabilities for the Group requires the use of assumptions with respect to transactions whose fiscal consequences are not yet certain at the end of the reporting period. The Group recognizes liabilities which could result from future inspections by the fiscal authorities on the basis of an estimate of the amounts expected to be paid to the taxation authorities. If the result of the abovementioned inspections differs from that estimated by Group management, there could be significant effects on both current and deferred taxes.
Inventories
Frames manufactured by us were approximately 55.5% and 56.0% of total frame inventory as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. All inventories at December 31, 2014 were valued using the lower of cost, as determined under an average annual cost by product line method, or market. Inventories are recorded net of allowances for possible losses. These reserves are calculated using various factors including sales volume, historical shrink results, changes in market conditions and current trends. In addition, production schedules are made on similar factors which, if not estimated correctly, could lead to the production of potentially obsolete inventory. As such, actual results could differ significantly from the estimated amounts.
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets and Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
In connection with various acquisitions, we have recorded as intangible assets certain goodwill, trade names and certain other identifiable intangibles. At December 31, 2014, the aggregate carrying value of intangibles, including goodwill, was approximately Euro 4.7 billion or approximately 49% of total assets.
As acquisitions are an important element of our growth strategy, valuations of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed on the acquisition dates could have a significant impact on our future results of operations. Fair values of those assets and liabilities on the date of the acquisition could be based on estimates of future cash flows and operating conditions for which the actual results may vary significantly. This may lead to, among other items, impairment charges and payment of liabilities different than amounts originally recorded, which could have a material impact on future operations.
Goodwill is no longer amortized, but rather is tested for impairment annually and, under certain circumstances, between annual periods. An impairment charge will be recorded if the fair value of goodwill and other intangible assets is less than the carrying value. The calculation of fair value may be based on, among other items, estimated future cash flows if quoted market prices in active markets are
45
not available. We test our goodwill for impairment annually as of December 31 of each year and any other time a condition arises that may cause us to believe that an impairment has occurred. Since impairment tests use estimates of the impact of future events, actual results may differ and we may be required to record an impairment in future years. We recorded no impairment losses in 2014, 2013 and 2012. For further details, see Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 18 of this Form 20-F.
Intangibles subject to amortization based on a finite useful life continue to be amortized on a straight-line basis over their useful lives. Our long-lived assets, other than goodwill, are tested for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the net carrying amount may not be recoverable. When such events occur, we measure impairment by comparing the carrying value of the long-lived asset to its recoverable amount, which is equal to its value in use. The value-in-use calculation involves discounting the expected cash flows to be generated by the asset to its present value. If the sum of the expected discounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the assets, we would recognize an impairment loss, if determined to be necessary. Actual results may differ from our current estimates. Following the reorganization of the retail business in Australia, approved by the Board of Directors on January 24, 2012, the Group decided to stop selling under the Budget Eyewear name and recorded an impairment loss in our 2011 Consolidated Financial Statements of Euro 8.9 million (AUD 12 million) related to this trademark.
RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
See Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 18 of this Form 20-F for a discussion of the impact of recent accounting pronouncements on our financial condition and results of operations, including the expected dates of adoption and estimated effects on our financial position, statement of cash flows and results of operations.
OVERVIEW OF 2014 RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
In fiscal year 2014, we achieved strong growth of net sales and a more than proportionate increase in profitability relative to sales growth, as well as a significant improvement in financial leverage. Both segments made a major contribution to our results.
Because of our worldwide operations, our results of operations are affected by foreign exchange rate fluctuations. In 2014, the weakening of certain currencies in which we conduct business, in particular of the U.S. dollar against the Euro, which is our reporting currency, decreased net sales by Euro 104.2 million, primarily in the wholesale segment. This discussion should be read in conjunction with Item 3"Key InformationRisk Factors" and the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included in Item 18.
46
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the percentage of net sales represented by certain items included in our statements of consolidated income:
|
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Net Sales |
100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | ||||
Cost of Sales |
33.6 | 34.5 | 34.4 | |||||||
Gross Profit |
66.4 | 65.5 | 65.6 | |||||||
Operating Expenses: |
||||||||||
Selling and Advertising |
39.4 | 39.2 | 40.1 | |||||||
General and Administrative |
11.8 | 11.9 | 11.8 | |||||||
Total |
51.2 | 51.0 | 51.9 | |||||||
Income from Operations |
15.1 | 14.4 | 13.7 | |||||||
Other Income (Expense)Net |
(1.3 | ) | (1.4 | ) | (1.8 | ) | ||||
Provision for Income Taxes |
(5.4 | ) | (5.6 | ) | (4.3 | ) | ||||
Net Income |
8.4 | 7.5 | 7.6 | |||||||
Net Income Attributable to Non-Controlling Interests |
0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |||||||
Net Income Attributable to Luxottica Group Stockholders |
8.4 | 7.4 | 7.5 | |||||||
| | | | | | | | | | |
For additional financial information by operating segment and geographic region, see Note 5 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 18 of this Form 20-F.
Throughout the following comparison of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, and of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012, we use certain performance measures that are not in accordance with IFRS. Such non-IFRS measures are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for items appearing in our financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS. Rather, these non-IFRS measures should be used as a supplement to IFRS results to assist the reader in better understanding our operational performance. For further information regarding the use of and limitations relating to such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons.
In addition, comparable store sales reflect the change in sales from one period to another that, for comparison purposes, includes in the calculation only stores open in the more recent period that also were open during the prior period in the same geographic area, and applies to both periods the average exchange rate for the prior period.
COMPARISON OF THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014 TO THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2013.
Net Sales. Net sales increased by Euro 339.7 million, or 4.6%, to Euro 7,652.3 million in 2014 from Euro 7,312.6 million in 2013. Euro 202.5 million of this increase was attributable to increased sales in the manufacturing and wholesale distribution segment during 2014 as compared to 2013 and Euro 137.2 million was attributable to increased sales in the retail distribution segment during 2014 as compared to 2013. This growth in net sales also included the impact of the 53rd week for the retail business, which generated net sales of approximately Euro 60.0 million. Adjusted net sales in 2014, which include the 2014 EyeMed Adjustment (as defined below), were Euro 7,698.9 million.
Effective July 1, 2014, adjusted net sales were impacted by the modification of terms of an EyeMed reinsurance agreement with an existing underwriter whereby the Company now assumes less reinsurance revenue and less claims expense. This modification resulted in a reduction in reinsurance revenue and claims of Euro 46.6 million (the "2014 EyeMed Adjustment").
47
A reconciliation of adjusted net sales, a non-IFRS measure, to net sales, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, is presented in the table below. For a further discussion of such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons:
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2014 |
2013 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Net sales |
7,652.3 | 7,312.6 | |||||
> 2014 EyeMed Adjustment |
46.6 | | |||||
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted net sales |
7,698.9 | 7,312.6 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Net sales for the retail distribution segment increased by Euro 137.2 million, or 3.2%, to Euro 4,458.6 million in 2014 from Euro 4,321.3 million in 2013. The increase in net sales for the period was partially attributable to a 1.8% increase in comparable store sales for LensCrafters and a 7.4% increase in comparable store sales for Sunglass Hut. The effects from currency fluctuations between the Euro, which is our reporting currency, and other currencies in which we conduct business, in particular the weakening of the U.S. dollar and the Australian dollar compared to the Euro, decreased net sales in the retail distribution segment by Euro 48.2 million.
Adjusted net sales for the retail division in 2014, which include the 2014 EyeMed Adjustment, were Euro 4,505.2 million.
A reconciliation of adjusted net sales for the retail division, a non-IFRS measure, to net sales of the retail division, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, is presented in the table below. For a further discussion of such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons:
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2014 |
2013 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Net sales |
4,458.6 | 4,321.3 | |||||
> 2014 EyeMed Adjustment |
46.6 | | |||||
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted net sales |
4,505.2 | 4,321.3 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Net sales to third parties in the manufacturing and wholesale distribution segment increased by Euro 202.5 million, or 6.8%, to Euro 3,193.8 million in 2014 from Euro 2,991.3 million in 2013. This increase was mainly attributable to increased sales of most of our proprietary brands, in particular Ray-Ban and Oakley, and certain designer brands, including Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Armani. The positive impact on net sales was partially offset by negative currency fluctuations, in particular the weakening of the U.S. dollar and the Brazilian Real compared to the Euro, which decreased net sales in the wholesale distribution segment by Euro 56.0 million.
In 2014, net sales in the retail distribution segment accounted for approximately 58.3% of total net sales, as compared to approximately 59.1% of total net sales in 2013. This decrease in sales for the retail distribution segment as a percentage of total net sales was primarily attributable to a 6.8% increase in net sales for the manufacturing and wholesale distribution segment for 2014, as compared to a 3.2% increase in net sales to third parties in the retail distribution segment for 2014.
In 2014 and 2013, net sales in our retail distribution segment in the United States and Canada comprised 77.3% and 77.8%, respectively, of our total net sales in this segment. In U.S. dollars, retail net sales in the United States and Canada increased by 2.6% to U.S. $4,577.3 million in 2014 from U.S. $4,462.3 million in 2013, due to sales volume increases. During 2014, net sales in the retail distribution segment in the rest of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) comprised 22.7% of our total net sales in the retail distribution segment and increased by 5.5% to Euro 1,013.1 million in
48
2014 from Euro 960.5 million, or 22.2% of our total net sales in the retail distribution segment, in 2013, mainly due to an increase in consumer demand.
In 2014, net sales to third parties in our manufacturing and wholesale distribution segment in Europe were Euro 1,295.3 million, comprising 40.6% of our total net sales in this segment, compared to Euro 1,272.8 million, or 42.5% of total net sales in this segment, in 2013, increasing by Euro 22.5 million or 1.8% in 2014 as compared to 2013. Net sales to third parties in our manufacturing and wholesale distribution segment in the United States and Canada were U.S. $1,117.7 million and comprised 26.3% of our total net sales in this segment in 2014, compared to U.S. $1,013.1 million, or 25.5% of total net sales in this segment, in 2013. The increase in net sales in the United States and Canada in 2014 compared to 2013 was primarily due to a general increase in consumer demand. In 2014, net sales to third parties in our manufacturing and wholesale distribution segment in the rest of the world were Euro 1,057.2 million, comprising 33.1% of our total net sales in this segment, compared to Euro 955.5 million, or 31.9% of our net sales in this segment, in 2013. The increase of Euro 101.7 million, or 10.6%, in 2014 as compared to 2013 was due to an increase in consumer demand, in particular in the emerging markets.
Cost of Sales. Cost of sales increased by Euro 51.0 million, or 2.0%, to Euro 2,574.7 million in 2014 from Euro 2,524.0 million in 2013. As a percentage of net sales, cost of sales was 33.6% and 34.5% in 2014 and 2013, respectively. The average number of frames produced daily in our facilities was approximately 297,100 and 302,000 in 2014 and 2013, respectively.
Adjusted cost of sales in 2014, which include the 2014 EyeMed Adjustment, was Euro 2,621.3 million.
A reconciliation of adjusted cost of sales, a non-IFRS measure, to cost of sales, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, is presented in the table below. For a further discussion of such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons.
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2014 |
2013 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cost of sales |
2,574.7 | 2,524.0 | |||||
> 2014 EyeMed Adjustment |
46.6 | | |||||
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted cost of sales |
2,621.3 | 2,524.0 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Gross Profit. Our gross profit increased by Euro 289.0 million, or 6.0%, to Euro 5,077.6 million in 2014 from Euro 4,788.6 million in 2013. As a percentage of net sales, gross profit increased to 66.4% in 2014 from 65.5% in 2013 due to the factors noted above.
Operating Expenses. Total operating expenses increased by Euro 187.1 million, or 5.0%, to Euro 3,920.0 million in 2014 from Euro 3,732.9 million in 2013. As a percentage of net sales, operating expenses were 51.2% in 2014 compared to 51.0% in 2013.
The increase in operating expenses in 2014 was primarily attributable to a Euro 110.4 million increase in selling expenses, a Euro 31.3 million increase in advertising expenses and a Euro 40.0 million increase in general and administrative expenses.
Total adjusted operating expenses increased by Euro 176.1 million, or 4.7%, to Euro 3,900.0 million in 2014 from Euro 3,723.9 million in 2013, excluding non-recurring expenses of Euro 20.0 million related to the termination of the employment of the former Group CEOs in 2014 and expenses of approximately 9.0 million related to the reorganization of the Alain Mikli business in 2013. As a percentage of net sales, adjusted operating expenses decreased to 50.7% in 2014 from 50.9% in 2013.
49
A reconciliation of adjusted operating expenses, a non-IFRS measure, to operating expenses, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, is presented in the table below. For a further discussion of such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons.
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2014 |
2013 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Operating expenses |
3,920.0 | 3,732.9 | |||||
> Adjustment for the employment termination of the former Group CEOs |
(20.0 | ) | | ||||
> Adjustment for Alain Mikli reorganization |
| (9.0 | ) | ||||
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted operating expenses |
3,900.0 | 3,723.9 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Selling and advertising expenses (including royalty expenses) increased by Euro 147.1 million, or 5.1%, to Euro 3,013.4 million in 2014 from Euro 2,866.3 million in 2013. The increase was primarily due to an increase in selling expenses and advertising expenses. Selling expenses increased by Euro 110.4 million, or 4.9%. As a percentage of net sales, selling expenses were 30.7% in each of 2014 and 2013. Advertising expenses increased by Euro 31.3 million, or 6.5%. As a percentage of net sales advertising expenses were 6.7% and 6.6% in 2014 and 2013, respectively. Royalties increased by Euro 5.4 million, or 3.7%. As a percentage of net sales, royalty expenses were 2.0% in each of 2014 and 2013.
General and administrative expenses, including intangible asset amortization, increased by Euro 40.0 million, or 4.6%, to Euro 906.6 million in 2014, as compared to Euro 866.6 million in 2013. As a percentage of net sales, general and administrative expenses were 11.8% in 2014 compared to 11.9% in 2013. The increase was primarily related to the termination of the employment of the former Group CEOs amounting to approximately Euro 20.0 million.
Adjusted general and administrative expenses increased by Euro 29.0 million, or 3.4%, to Euro 886.6 million in 2014 as compared to Euro 857.6 million in 2013. This amount includes intangible asset amortization and excludes, in 2014, the non-recurring expenses of Euro 20.0 million related to the termination of the employment of the former Group CEOs and, in 2013, expenses of approximately Euro 9.0 million related to the reorganization of the Alain Mikli business. As a percentage of net sales, adjusted general and administrative expenses decreased to 11.5% in 2014, compared to 11.7% in 2013.
A reconciliation of adjusted general and administrative expenses, a non-IFRS measure, to general and administrative expenses, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, is presented in the table below. For a further discussion of such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons.
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2014 |
2013 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
General and administrative expenses |
906.6 | 866.6 | |||||
> Adjustment for the employment termination of the former Group CEOs |
(20.0 | ) | | ||||
> Adjustment for Alain Mikli reorganization |
| (9.0 | ) | ||||
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted general and administrative expenses |
886.6 | 857.6 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Income from Operations. For the reasons described above, income from operations increased by Euro 101.9 million, or 9.7%, to Euro 1,157.6 million in 2014 from Euro 1,055.7 million in 2013. As a percentage of net sales, income from operations increased to 15.1% in 2014 from 14.4% in 2013. Adjusted income from operations increased by Euro 112.9 million, or 10.6%, to Euro 1,177.6 million in 2014 from Euro 1,064.7 million in 2013. As a percentage of net sales, adjusted income from operations increased to 15.3% in 2014 from 14.6% in 2013.
50
A reconciliation of adjusted income from operations, a non-IFRS measure, to income from operations, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, is presented in the table below. For a further discussion of such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons.
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2014 |
2013 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income from operations |
1,157.6 | 1,055.7 | |||||
> Adjustment for the employment termination of the former Group CEOs |
20.0 | | |||||
> Adjustment for Alain Mikli reorganization |
| 9.0 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted income from operations |
1,177.6 | 1,064.7 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Other Income (Expense)Net. Other income (expense)net was Euro (97.5) million in 2014 as compared to Euro (99.3) million in 2013. Net interest expense was Euro 98.0 million in 2014 as compared to Euro 92.1 million in 2013. The increase was mainly due to an increase in outstanding debt as a result of the issuance of Euro 500 million of bonds in the first half of 2014.
Net Income. Income before taxes increased by Euro 103.7 million, or 10.8%, to Euro 1,060.1 million in 2014 from Euro 956.4 million in 2013 for the reasons described above. As a percentage of net sales, income before taxes increased to 13.9% in 2014, from 13.1% in 2013. Adjusted income before taxes increased by Euro 114.7 million, or 11.9%, to Euro 1,080.1 million in 2014 from Euro 965.4 million in 2013, for the reasons described above. As a percentage of net sales, adjusted income before taxes increased to 14.0% in 2014 from 13.2% in 2013.
A reconciliation of adjusted net income before taxes, a non-IFRS measure, to net income before taxes, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, is presented in the table below. For a further discussion of such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons.
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2014 |
2013 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Net income before taxes |
1,060.1 | 956.4 | |||||
> Adjustment for the termination of the former Group CEOs |
20.0 | | |||||
> Adjustment for Alain Mikli reorganization |
| 9.0 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted net income before taxes |
1,080.1 | 965.4 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Our effective tax rate was 39.1% and 42.6% in 2014 and 2013, respectively. Included in 2014 was Euro 30.3 million for certain income taxes accrued in the period as a result of ongoing tax audits as compared with Euro 66.7 million accrued in 2013. Our adjusted tax rate in 2014 and 2013 was 36.0% and 35.6%, respectively.
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests was equal to Euro 3.4 million and Euro 4.2 million in 2014 and 2013, respectively.
Net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders increased by Euro 97.9 million, or 18.0%, to Euro 642.6 million in 2014 from Euro 544.7 million in 2013. Net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders as a percentage of net sales increased to 8.4% in 2014 from 7.4% in 2013. Adjusted net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders increased by Euro 70.1 million, or 11.4%, to Euro 687.4 million in 2014 from Euro 617.3 million in 2013. Adjusted net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders as a percentage of net sales increased to 8.9% in 2014, from 8.4% in 2013.
A reconciliation of adjusted net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders, a non-IFRS measure, to net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders, the most directly comparable IFRS
51
measure, is presented in the table below. For a further discussion of such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons.
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2014 |
2013 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders |
642.6 | 544.7 | |||||
> Adjustment for Alain Mikli reorganization |
| 5.9 | |||||
> Adjustment for the cost of the tax audit relating to Luxottica S.r.l. (fiscal year 2007) |
| 26.7 | |||||
> Adjustment for the accrual for the tax audit relating to Luxottica S.r.l. (fiscal years 2008 to 2011) |
30.3 | 40.0 | |||||
> Adjustment for the termination of the former Group CEOs |
14.5 | | |||||
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders |
687.4 | 617.3 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Basic earnings per share were Euro 1.35 in 2014 and Euro 1.15 in 2013. Diluted earnings per share were Euro 1.34 in 2014 and Euro 1.14 in 2013.
COMPARISON OF THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2013 TO THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2012.
Net Sales. Net sales increased by Euro 226.5 million, or 3.2%, to Euro 7,312.6 million in 2013 from Euro 7,086.1 million in 2012. Euro 218.2 million of this increase was attributable to increased sales in the manufacturing and wholesale distribution segment during 2013 as compared to 2012 and to increased sales of Euro 8.2 million in the retail distribution segment during 2013 as compared to 2012.
Net sales for the retail distribution segment increased by Euro 8.2 million, or 0.2%, to Euro 4,321.3 million in 2013 from Euro 4,313.1 million in 2012. The increase in net sales for the period was partially attributable to a 3.4% improvement in comparable store sales. In particular, we saw a 2.3% increase in comparable store sales for the North American retail operations, and a 5.2% increase in comparable store sales for the Australian/New Zealand retail operations. The effects from currency fluctuations between the Euro, which is our reporting currency, and other currencies in which we conduct business, in particular the weakening of the U.S. dollar and the Australian dollar compared to the Euro, decreased net sales in the retail distribution segment by Euro 193.6 million.
Net sales to third parties in the manufacturing and wholesale distribution segment increased by Euro 218.2 million, or 7.9%, to Euro 2,991.3 million in 2013 from Euro 2,773.1 million in 2012. This increase was mainly attributable to increased sales of most of our proprietary brands, in particular Ray-Ban and Oakley, and of certain designer brands including Prada, Tiffany and the Armani brands which were launched in 2013. The positive impact on net sales was partially offset by negative currency fluctuations, in particular the weakening of the U.S. dollar and the Brazilian Real compared to the Euro, which decreased net sales in the wholesale distribution segment by Euro 114.2 million.
In 2013, net sales in the retail distribution segment accounted for approximately 59.2% of total net sales, as compared to approximately 60.9% of total net sales in 2012. This decrease in sales for the retail distribution segment as a percentage of total net sales was primarily attributable to a 7.9% increase in net sales for the manufacturing and wholesale distribution segment for 2013, as compared to a 0.2% increase in net sales to third parties in the retail distribution segment.
In 2013 and 2012, net sales in our retail distribution segment in the United States and Canada comprised 77.8% and 78.4%, respectively, of our total net sales in this segment. In U.S. dollars, retail net sales in the United States and Canada increased by 2.7% to U.S. $4,462.3 million in 2013 from U.S. $4,343.5 million in 2012, due to sales volume increases. During 2013, net sales in the retail
52
distribution segment in the rest of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) comprised 22.2% of our total net sales in the retail distribution segment and increased by 3.0% to Euro 960.5 million in 2013 from Euro 932.4 million, or 21.6% of our total net sales in the retail distribution segment, in 2012, mainly due to an increase in consumer demand.
In 2013, net sales to third parties in our manufacturing and wholesale distribution segment in Europe were Euro 1,272.8 million, comprising 42.5% of our total net sales in this segment, compared to Euro 1,183.3 million, or 42.7% of total net sales in this segment in 2012, increasing by Euro 89.5 million or 7.6% in 2013 as compared to 2012. Net sales to third parties in our manufacturing and wholesale distribution segment in the United States and Canada were U.S. $1,013.1 million and comprised 25.5% of our total net sales in this segment in 2013, compared to U.S. $953.6 million, or 26.8% of total net sales in this segment, in 2012. The increase in net sales in the United States and Canada in 2013 compared to 2012 was primarily due to a general increase in consumer demand. In 2013, net sales to third parties in our manufacturing and wholesale distribution segment in the rest of the world were Euro 955.5 million, comprising 31.9% of our total net sales in this segment, compared to Euro 847.6 million, or 30.6% of our net sales in this segment, in 2012. The increase of Euro 107.9 million, or 12.7%, in 2013 as compared to 2012 was due to an increase in consumer demand, in particular in the emerging markets.
Cost of Sales. Cost of sales increased by Euro 88.0 million, or 3.6%, to Euro 2,524.0 million in 2013 from Euro 2,436.0 million in 2012, in line with the increase in net sales. As a percentage of net sales, cost of sales was 34.5% and 34.4% in 2013 and 2012, respectively, primarily due to an increase in demand. In 2013, the average number of frames produced daily in our facilities increased to approximately 302,000 as compared to approximately 289,200 in 2012, which was attributable to increased production in all manufacturing facilities in response to an overall increase in demand.
Gross Profit. Our gross profit increased by Euro 138.8 million, or 3.0%, to Euro 4,788.6 million in 2013 from Euro 4,650.1 million in 2012. As a percentage of net sales, gross profit was 65.5% and 65.6% in 2013 and 2012, respectively, due to the factors noted above.
Operating Expenses. Total operating expenses increased by Euro 52.9 million, or 1.4%, to Euro 3,732.9 million in 2013 from Euro 3,680.0 million in 2012. The increase was primarily due to advertising costs and royalties under the Armani license agreement, which started in 2013, and to costs associated with the new companies acquired in 2013. As a percentage of net sales, operating expenses were 51.0% in 2013 compared to 51.9% in 2012. Total adjusted operating expenses increased by Euro 64.3 million, or 1.8%, to Euro 3,723.9 million in 2013 from Euro 3,659.7 million in 2012, excluding expenses of approximately Euro 9.0 million related to the reorganization of the Alain Mikli business in 2013 and expenses of approximately Euro 20.3 million related to the reorganization of the retail business in Australia in 2012. As a percentage of net sales, adjusted operating expenses decreased to 50.9% in 2013 from 51.6% in 2012.
A reconciliation of adjusted operating expenses, a non-IFRS measure, to operating expenses, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, is presented in the table below. For a further discussion of such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons.
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2013 |
2012 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Operating expenses |
3,732.9 | 3,680.0 | |||||
> Adjustment for Alain Mikli reorganization |
(9.0 | ) | | ||||
> Adjustment for OPSM reorganization |
| (20.3 | ) | ||||
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted operating expenses |
3,723.9 | 3,659.7 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
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Selling and advertising expenses (including royalty expenses) increased by Euro 25.7 million, or 0.9%, to Euro 2,866.3 million in 2013 from Euro 2,840.6 million in 2012. The increase was primarily due to an increase in advertising and royalty expenses and was partially offset by a decrease in selling expenses. Selling expenses decreased by Euro 28.2 million, or 1.2%. The decrease was primarily due to the weakening of the major currencies impacting the Group's operations partially offset by the new companies acquired in 2013. Advertising expenses increased by Euro 33.7 million, or 7.6%. The increase is primarily due to advertising costs incurred in connection with the roll-out of Armani and to the companies acquired in 2013. Royalties increased by Euro 20.2 million, or 16.2%. The increase was primarily due to royalties under the Armani license agreement which started in 2013. As a percentage of net sales, selling and advertising expenses were 39.2% in 2013 and 40.1% in 2012.
Adjusted selling and advertising expenses (including royalty expenses), excluding expenses of approximately Euro 17.3 million related to the reorganization of the retail business in Australia, increased by Euro 43.0 million, or 1.5%, to Euro 2,866.3 million in 2013, as compared to Euro 2,823.3 million in 2012. As a percentage of net sales, adjusted selling and advertising expenses were 39.2% in 2013 and 39.8% in 2012.
A reconciliation of adjusted selling and advertising expenses, a non-IFRS measure, to selling and advertising expenses, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, is presented in the table below. For a further discussion of such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons.
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2013 |
2012 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Selling and advertising expenses |
2,866.3 | 2,840.6 | |||||
> Adjustment for OPSM reorganization |
| (17.3 | ) | ||||
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted selling and advertising expenses |
2,866.3 | 2,823.3 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
General and administrative expenses, including intangible asset amortization, increased by Euro 27.3 million, or 3.2%, to Euro 866.6 million in 2013, as compared to Euro 839.4 million in 2012. The increase was mainly driven by the general and administrative expenses of the companies acquired in 2013 which account for Euro 24.7 million of this increase. As a percentage of net sales, general and administrative expenses increased to 11.9% in 2013, compared to 11.8% in 2012.
Adjusted general and administrative expenses, including intangible asset amortization and excluding, in 2013, expenses of approximately Euro 9.0 million related to the reorganization of the Alain Mikli business and, in 2012, expenses of approximately Euro 3.0 million related to the reorganization of the retail business in Australia, increased by Euro 21.2 million, or 2.5%, to Euro 857.6 million in 2013 as compared to Euro 836.4 million in 2012. As a percentage of net sales, adjusted general and administrative expenses decreased to 11.7% in 2013, compared to 11.8% in 2012.
A reconciliation of adjusted general and administrative expenses, a non-IFRS measure, to general and administrative expenses, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, is presented in the table below. For a further discussion of such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons.
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2013 |
2012 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
General and administrative expenses |
866.6 | 839.4 | |||||
> Adjustment for Alain Mikli reorganization |
(9.0 | ) | | ||||
> Adjustment for OPSM reorganization |
| (3.0 | ) | ||||
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted general and administrative expenses |
857.6 | 836.4 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
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Income from Operations. For the reasons described above, income from operations increased by Euro 85.5 million, or 8.8%, to Euro 1,055.7 million in 2013 from Euro 970.1 million in 2012. As a percentage of net sales, income from operations increased to 14.4% in 2013 from 13.7% in 2012. Adjusted income from operations increased by Euro 72.8 million, or 7.3%, to Euro 1,064.7 million in 2013 from Euro 991.8 million in 2012. As a percentage of net sales, adjusted income from operations increased to 14.6% in 2013 from 14.0% in 2012.
A reconciliation of adjusted income from operations, a non-IFRS measure, to income from operations, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, is presented in the table below. For a further discussion of such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons.
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2013 |
2012 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income from operations |
1,055.7 | 970.1 | |||||
> Adjustment for Alain Mikli reorganization |
9.0 | | |||||
> Adjustment for OPSM reorganization |
| 21.7 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted income from operations |
1,064.7 | 991.8 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Other Income (Expense)Net. Other income (expense)net was Euro (99.3) million in 2013 as compared to Euro (125.7) million in 2012. Net interest expense was Euro 92.1 million in 2013 as compared to Euro 119.2 million in 2012. The decrease was mainly due to the early repayment of a portion of long-term debt in 2012 and 2013.
Net Income. Income before taxes increased by Euro 111.9 million, or 13.3%, to Euro 956.4 million in 2013 from Euro 844.4 million in 2012 for the reasons described above. As a percentage of net sales, income before taxes increased to 13.1% in 2013, from 11.9% in 2012. Adjusted income before taxes increased by Euro 99.2 million, or 11.5%, to Euro 965.4 million in 2013 from Euro 866.2 million in 2012, for the reasons described above. As a percentage of net sales, adjusted income before taxes increased to 13.2% in 2013 from 12.2% in 2012.
A reconciliation of adjusted net income before taxes, a non-IFRS measure, to net income before taxes, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, is presented in the table below. For a further discussion of such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons.
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2013 |
2012 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Net income before taxes |
956.4 | 844.4 | |||||
> Adjustment for Alain Mikli reorganization |
9.0 | | |||||
> Adjustment for OPSM reorganization |
| 21.7 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted net income before taxes |
965.4 | 866.2 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Our effective tax rate was 42.6% and 36.2% in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Included in 2013 was Euro 66.7 million for certain income taxes accrued in the period as a result of ongoing tax audits as compared with Euro 10.0 million accrued in 2012.
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests was equal to Euro 4.2 million, in each of 2013 and 2012.
Net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders increased by Euro 10.3 million, or 1.9%, to Euro 544.7 million in 2013 from Euro 534.4 million in 2012. Net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders as a percentage of net sales decreased to 7.4% in 2013 from 7.5% in 2012. Adjusted net
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income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders increased by Euro 57.7 million, or 10.3%, to Euro 617.3 million in 2013 from Euro 559.6 million in 2012. Adjusted net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders as a percentage of net sales increased to 8.4% in 2013, from 7.9% in 2012. A reconciliation of adjusted net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders, a non-IFRS measure, to net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, is presented in the table below. For a further discussion of such non-IFRS measures, please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures" discussion following the year-over-year comparisons.
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2013 |
2012 |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders |
544.7 | 534.4 | |||||
> Adjustment for Alain Mikli reorganization |
5.9 | | |||||
> Adjustment for the cost of the tax audit relating to Luxottica S.r.l. (fiscal year 2007) |
26.7 | | |||||
> Adjustment for the accrual for the tax audit relating to Luxottica S.r.l. (fiscal years subsequent to 2007) |
40.0 | | |||||
> Adjustment for OPSM reorganization |
| 15.2 | |||||
> Adjustment for Italian income tax audit |
| 10.0 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders |
617.3 | 559.6 | |||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Basic earnings per share were Euro 1.15 in 2013 and in 2012. Diluted earnings per share were Euro 1.14 in 2013 and in 2012.
Non-IFRS Measures: Adjusted Measures
In order to provide a supplemental comparison of current period results of operations to prior periods, we have adjusted for certain transactions or events.
In order to provide a supplemental comparison of current period results of operations to prior periods, certain measures, such as net sales, operating expenses, selling and advertising expenses, general and administrative expenses, income from operations, income before taxes and net income attributable to Luxottica Group stockholders have been adjusted by the following items:
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The Company believes that these adjusted measures are useful to both management and investors in evaluating the Company's operating performance compared with that of other companies in its industry because they exclude the impact of items that are not relevant to the Company's operating performance.
The adjusted measures referenced above are not measures of performance in accordance with IFRS. We include these adjusted comparisons in this presentation in order to provide a supplemental view of operations that excludes items that are unusual, infrequent or unrelated to our ongoing core operations.
These adjusted measures are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for items appearing in our financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS. Rather, these non-IFRS measures should be used as a supplement to IFRS results to assist the reader in better understanding the operational performance of the Company. The Company cautions that these adjusted measures are not defined terms under IFRS and their definitions should be carefully reviewed and understood by investors. Investors should be aware that Luxottica Group's method of calculating these adjusted measures may differ from methods used by other companies.
The Company recognizes that there are limitations in the usefulness of adjusted comparisons due to the subjective nature of items excluded by management in calculating adjusted comparisons. We compensate for the foregoing limitation by using these adjusted measures as a comparative tool, together with IFRS measurements, to assist in the evaluation of our operating performance.
See the tables on the foregoing pages for a reconciliation of the adjusted measures discussed above to their most directly comparable IFRS financial measures.
TAXES
Our effective tax rates for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, were approximately 39.1%, 42.6% and 36.3%, respectively. The effective tax rates for fiscal years 2014, 2013 and 2012 includes tax accruals of Euro 30.3 million, Euro 66.7 million and Euro 10.0 million, respectively, associated with ongoing tax audits. In future periods, we expect that our effective tax rate should return to historical levels of approximately 36%. However, until all open tax years have been settled, our effective tax rate may be higher than historical levels. For additional information on risks associated with our future effective tax rate, please see Item 3"Key InformationRisk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Business and OperationsChanges in our tax rates or exposure to additional tax liabilities could affect our future results."
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Our cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2014 totaled Euro 1,453.6 million, compared to Euro 618.0 million at December 31, 2013. As of December 31, 2014, Euro 1,052.3 million of the Group's total cash and cash equivalents was held outside of Italy. There are no significant repatriation restrictions other than local or Italian taxes associated with repatriation. While we currently do not foresee a need to repatriate funds, should we require more capital in Italy than is generated by our operations locally, we could elect to raise capital in Italy or the rest of Europe through debt or equity issuances. These alternatives could result in higher effective tax rates or increased interest expense.
Cash Flows
Operating Activities. The Company's net cash provided by operating activities in 2014, 2013 and 2012 was Euro 1,170.1 million, Euro 921.8 million and Euro 1,040.4 million, respectively.
Depreciation and amortization were Euro 384.0 million in 2014 as compared to Euro 366.6 million in 2013 and Euro 358.3 million in 2012. The increase in depreciation and amortization in 2014 as compared
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to 2013 is mainly due to the increase in tangible and intangible asset purchases and to the acquisition of glasses.com for Euro 1.2 million. The increase in depreciation and amortization in 2013, as compared to 2012, is mainly due to the increase in tangible and intangible asset purchases and the acquisition of Alain Mikli.
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense was Euro 31.8 million in 2014 as compared to Euro 28.1 million in 2013 and Euro 41.4 million in 2012. The increase in 2014 as compared to 2013 was mainly due to higher expenses related to incentive plan awards granted in 2014 partially offset by awards granted in previous years that vested in the first half of 2014. The decrease in 2013 as compared to 2012 was mainly due to higher expenses related to incentive plan awards granted in previous years that vested in 2012.
The change in accounts receivable was Euro (41.3) million in 2014 as compared to Euro (16.8) million in 2013 and Euro (34.6) million in 2012. The changes in 2014 as compared to 2013 and in 2013 as compared to 2012 were primarily due to the higher volume of sales partially offset by an improvement in collections. The inventory change was Euro 7.3 million in 2014 as compared to Euro 11.8 million in 2013 and Euro (80.5) million in 2012. The change in 2013 as compared to 2012 was due to higher inventory stock level in 2012 due to the SAP implementation in the Italian manufacturing plants. The change in other assets and liabilities was Euro 21.2 million in 2014 as compared to Euro (30.4) million in 2013 and Euro 51.3 million in 2012. The change in 2014 as compared to 2013 was primarily driven by the increase in the liability to employees in the retail division in North America due to the timing in payment of salaries to store personnel. The change in 2013 as compared to 2012 was primarily driven by the decrease in the liability to employees in the retail division in North America due to the timing in payment of salaries to store personnel and a decrease in bonus accruals. The change in accounts payable was Euro 24.6 million in 2014 as compared to Euro 12.5 million in 2013 and Euro 61.5 million in 2012. The changes in 2014 as compared to 2013 and in 2013 as compared to 2012 were primarily due to the continuous improvement of payment terms and conditions that started in 2012. Income tax payments in 2014 were Euro 349.2 million as compared to Euro 427.9 million in 2013 and Euro 265.7 million in 2012. The increase in income tax payments in 2013 as compared to 2012 and 2014 was related to the timing of our tax payments related to certain Italian and U.S. subsidiaries and the payment of Euro 38.0 million in the last quarter of 2013 related to the tax audit of Luxottica S.r.l. Interest paid was Euro 93.1 million in 2014 as compared to Euro 94.5 million in 2013 and Euro 120.8 million in 2012. The change in 2013 as compared to 2012 was mainly due to repayment of long-term debt.
Investing Activities. The Company's net cash used in investing activities was Euro 459.3 million, Euro 479.8 million and Euro 478.3 million in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The primary investment activities in 2014 were related to (i) the acquisition of tangible assets for Euro 280.8 million, (ii) the acquisition of intangible assets for Euro 138.5 million, primarily related to IT infrastructure, and (iii) the acquisition of glasses.com for Euro 30.1 million and other minor acquisitions in the retail segment for Euro 11.0 million. The primary investment activities in 2013 were related to (i) the acquisition of tangible assets for Euro 274.1 million, (ii) the acquisition of intangible assets for Euro 101.1 million, primarily related to IT infrastructure, (iii) the acquisition of Alain Mikli for Euro 71.9 million and (iv) the acquisition of 36.33% of the share capital of Salmoiraghi & Viganò for Euro 45.0 million. The primary investment activities in 2012 were related to (i) the acquisition of tangible assets for Euro 261.5 million, (ii) the acquisition of intangible assets for Euro 117.0 million, mainly due to the implementation of new IT infrastructure, (iii) the acquisition of Tecnol for Euro 66.4 million, (iv) the acquisition of Sun Planet for Euro 21.9 million and (v) other minor acquisitions for Euro 11.4 million.
Our capital expenditures were Euro 418.9 million in 2014 as compared to Euro 369.7 million in 2013 and Euro 365.0 million (excluding capital leases of Euro 7.9 million) in 2012, primarily related to investments in IT infrastructure in 2014, 2013 and 2012, and in each year investments in manufacturing facilities for the manufacturing and wholesale segment and the opening, remodeling and relocation of stores in the retail division. Capital expenditures were Euro 94.0 million in the three-month period ended
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March 31, 2015. It is our expectation that 2015 net capital expenditures will be approximately 5.5% of the Group's net sales, excluding investments for acquisitions. We expect to fund future capital expenditures through cash flow generation primarily due to our operating leverage as well as working capital efficiencies.
Net cash provided by disposals of property, plant and equipment was insignificant in 2014, 2013 and 2012. Investments in equity investees resulted in cash used of Euro 0.0 million in 2014, Euro 45.0 million in 2013 and Euro 0.0 million in 2012.
Financing Activities. The Company's net cash provided by (used in) financing activities was Euro 72.3 million, Euro (568.8) million and Euro 668.4 million in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Cash provided by financing activities in 2014 consisted primarily of (i) Euro 500 million related to the issuance of new bonds, (ii) Euro (318.5) million related to the payment of existing debt, (iii) Euro (308.3) million used to pay dividends to the shareholders of the Company, (iv) Euro 70.0 million related to the exercise of stock options and (v) Euro 135.7 million related to the increase in bank overdrafts. Cash used in financing activities in 2013 mainly related to repayment of maturing outstanding debt of Euro (327.1) million and aggregate dividend payments to stockholders of Euro (273.7) million, which were partially offset by cash proceeds from the exercise of stock options totaling Euro 75.3 million. Cash used in financing activities in 2012 mainly related to proceeds received from the issuance of bonds for Euro 500.0 million, offset by the repayment of maturing outstanding debt of Euro (935.2) million and aggregate dividend payments to stockholders of Euro (227.4) million.
Our Indebtedness
We have relied primarily upon internally generated funds, trade credit, committed bank facilities and debt capital markets to finance our operations and expansion. We do not typically raise capital through the issuance of stock; rather, we use debt financing to lower our overall cost of capital and increase our return on stockholders' equity. We have access to capital markets at favorable market conditions and continue to monitor the debt capital markets in order to take appropriate actions to raise financing.
We manage our financing requirements by maintaining an adequate level of liquidity and committed and uncommitted financing facilities. To this end, we take a series of actions to ensure compliance with these financing requirements. In particular:
Our debt agreements contain certain covenants, including covenants that restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness. We do not currently expect to require any additional financing that would require us to obtain consents or waivers of any existing restrictions on additional indebtedness set forth in our debt agreements.
Our long-term credit facilities contain certain financial covenants including ratios of Net Financial Position (as defined in the agreements) to EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization as defined in the agreements) and EBITDA to net financial charges (as defined in the agreements). As of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, we were in compliance with these financial covenants and we expect to continue to be in compliance in the foreseeable future periods. We believe that after giving effect to any additional financing that we may incur, such restrictions would not materially affect our compliance with these covenants, our ability to incur the additional debt or our future business operations.
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The financial and operating covenants included in the above long-term debt are as follows (such terms are defined in our applicable debt agreements):
Our total indebtedness was Euro 2,315.2 million as of December 31, 2014. Available additional borrowings under credit facilities as of such date were Euro 1,098.1 million of which Euro 500.0 million were committed credit lines.
The Group has credit ratings assigned by Standard & Poor's of "A-" and "A-2" for its long-term and short-term debt, respectively; the outlook was stable as of April 10, 2015. The long-term rating was upgraded from "BBB+" on January 20, 2014.
For additional information, see Note 21 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 18 of this Form 20-F.
Bank Overdrafts
Bank overdrafts represent negative cash balances held in banks and amounts borrowed under various unsecured short-term lines of credit obtained by the Company and certain of its subsidiaries through local financial institutions. These facilities are usually short-term in nature or contain evergreen clauses with a cancellation notice period. Certain of these subsidiaries' agreements require a guaranty from Luxottica Group S.p.A. Interest rates on these lines vary based on the country of borrowing, among other factors. The Company uses these short-term lines of credit to satisfy its short-term cash needs.
Our Credit Facilities
The U.S. $1,500 Million Credit Facility, U.S. $500 Million Bridge Loan and Related Interest Rate Swaps
To finance the acquisition of Oakley, on October 12, 2007, we and our subsidiary U.S. Holdings entered into two credit facilities with a group of banks providing for certain term loans and a short-term bridge loan for an aggregate principal amount of U.S. $2.0 billion. The term loan facility was a term loan of U.S. $1.5 billion, with a five-year term, with options to extend the maturity on two occasions for one year each time. We exercised the first option to extend the final maturity of this facility by one year to October 12, 2013. The term loan facility was divided into two facilities, Facility D and Facility E. Facility D consists of an amortizing term loan in an aggregate amount of U.S. $1 billion, made available to U.S. Holdings, and Facility E consisted of a bullet term loan in an aggregate amount of U.S. $500 million. We borrowed U.S. $500 million under Facility E. Each facility had a five-year term, with options to extend the maturity on two occasions for one year each time. This facility was paid off on September 12, 2013.
The term loan had a spread of between 20 and 40 basis points over LIBOR, depending on the Group's ratio of debt to EBITDA. Interest accrued on the term loan at LIBOR (as defined in the agreement) plus 0.20%. Tranche E borrowings were fully repaid in advance on July 14, 2012 and October 15, 2012. Tranche D borrowings were fully repaid in advance on September 12, 2013.
During the third quarter of 2007, we entered into ten interest rate swap transactions with an aggregate initial notional amount of U.S. $500 million with various banks ("Tranche E Swaps"). These swaps expired on October 12, 2012. The Tranche E Swaps were entered into as a cash flow hedge on Facility E of the credit facility discussed above. The Tranche E Swaps exchanged the floating rate of LIBOR for an average fixed rate of 4.26% per annum.
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During the fourth quarter of 2008 and January 2009, we entered into 14 interest rate swap transactions with an aggregate initial notional amount of U.S. $700 million with various banks which decreased by U.S. $50 million every three months ("Tranche D Swaps"), which matches the scheduled maturity of the hedged debt. These swaps expired on October 12, 2012. The Tranche D Swaps were entered into as a cash flow hedge on Facility D of the credit facility discussed above. The Tranche D Swaps exchange the floating rate of LIBOR for an average fixed rate of 2.672% per annum.
The Euro 250 Million Revolving Credit Facility and Related Interest Rate Swaps
On May 29, 2008, we entered into a Euro 250 million revolving credit facility agreement, guaranteed by our subsidiary, U.S. Holdings, with Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. as agent and Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A., Banca Popolare di Vicenza S.c.p.A. and Banca Antonveneta S.p.A. as lenders. The credit facility required repayment of equal quarterly installments of principal of Euro 30 million, which started August 29, 2011, and a last repayment of Euro 40 million on the final maturity date. Interest accrued at EURIBOR (as defined in the agreement) plus a margin between 0.40% and 0.60% based on the "Net Debt/EBITDA" ratio, as defined in the agreement. This credit facility was fully repaid at maturity on May 29, 2013.
In June and July 2009, we entered into eight interest rate swap transactions with an aggregate initial notional amount of Euro 250 million with various banks ("Intesa Swaps"). The Intesa Swaps decreased their notional amount on a quarterly basis, following the amortization schedule of the underlying facility, which started on August 29, 2011. The Intesa Swaps expired on May 29, 2013. The Intesa Swaps were entered into as a cash flow hedge on the Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. credit facility discussed above. The Intesa Swaps exchanged the floating rate of EURIBOR (as defined in the agreement) for an average fixed rate of 2.25% per annum.
The Euro 300 Million Club Deal
On November 11, 2009, we entered into a Euro 300 million Term Facility Agreement, guaranteed by our subsidiaries U.S. Holdings and Luxottica S.r.l., with MediobancaBanca di Credito Finanziario S.p.A., as agent, and MediobancaBanca di Credito Finanziario S.p.A., Deutsche Bank S.p.A., Calyon S.A. Milan Branch and Unicredit Corporate Banking S.p.A., as lenders. The final maturity of the Term Facility was November 30, 2012. Interest accrued at EURIBOR (as defined in the agreement) plus a margin between 1.75% and 3.00% based on the "Net Debt/EBITDA" ratio, as defined in the agreement. In November 2010, we renegotiated this facility, extending the maturity for a further two years. The new expiration date was November 30, 2014. Interest accrued at EURIBOR plus a margin between 1.00% and 2.25%, as defined in the amendment (1.147% as of December 31, 2013). On August 29, 2014, the Group repaid the term loan in full in the amount of Euro 300 million.
The Euro 500 Million Multicurrency Revolving Credit Facility
On April 17, 2012, we and our subsidiary, U.S. Holdings, entered into a multicurrency (Euro/U.S. dollars) revolving credit facility with a group of banks providing for loans in the aggregate principal amount of Euro 500 million (or the equivalent in U.S. dollars). Amounts borrowed could be repaid and re-borrowed with all outstanding balances maturing on April 10, 2017. We were able to select interest periods of one, three or six months with interest accruing (i) on Euro-denominated loans based on the corresponding EURIBOR rate and (ii) on U.S. dollar denominated loans based on the corresponding LIBOR rate and a premium of 0.35% per annum, both plus a margin between 1.30% and 2.25% based on the "Consolidated Net Debt to Consolidated EBITDA" ratio as defined in the agreement. As of December 31, 2014, the line was undrawn.
On March 5, 2014, we and our subsidiary, U.S. Holdings, entered into an amendment to the existing multicurrency (Euro/U.S. dollars) revolving credit facility in order to, among other things, extend the term
61
of the agreement and modify the applicable interest rates. Under the amended agreement, amounts borrowed could be repaid and re-borrowed with all outstanding balances maturing on April 10, 2019. We were able to select interest periods of one, three or six months with interest accruing (i) on Euro-denominated loans based on the corresponding EURIBOR rate and (ii) on U.S. dollar-denominated loans based on the corresponding LIBOR rate, both plus a margin of between 0.65% and 1.50% based on the Company's long-term senior unsecured debt credit rating issued by Standard & Poor's.
On February 27, 2015, the Group terminated this revolving credit facility. As of the date of termination, the facility was undrawn.
Our Other Debt Financings
The U.S. $275 Million Senior Unsecured Guaranteed Notes of U.S. Holdings
On July 1, 2008, U.S. Holdings closed a private placement of U.S. $275 million of senior unsecured guaranteed notes, issued in three series ("Series A," "Series B" and "Series C"). The aggregate principal amounts of the Series A, Series B and Series C Notes are U.S. $20 million, U.S. $127 million and U.S. $128 million, respectively. The Series A Notes matured on July 1, 2013, the Series B Notes mature on July 1, 2015 and the Series C Notes mature on July 1, 2018. Interest on the Series A Notes accrued at 5.96% per annum, interest on the Series B Notes accrues at 6.42% per annum and interest on the Series C Notes accrues at 6.77% per annum. The Notes were not rated. The Notes contain certain financial and operating covenants. We were in compliance with those covenants as of December 31, 2014. The proceeds from the Notes were used to repay a portion of the bridge loan facility that expired on July 1, 2008.
The U.S. $175 Million Senior Unsecured Guaranteed Notes of U.S. Holdings
On January 29, 2010, U.S. Holdings closed a private placement of U.S. $175 million of senior unsecured guaranteed notes, issued in three series ("Series D," "Series E" and "Series F"). The aggregate principal amount of each of the Series D and Series E Notes is U.S. $50 million and the aggregate principal amount of the Series F Notes is U.S. $75 million. The Series D Notes mature on January 29, 2017, the Series E Notes mature on January 29, 2020 and the Series F Notes mature on January 29, 2019. Interest on the Series D Notes accrues at 5.19% per annum, interest on the Series E Notes accrues at 5.75% per annum and interest on the Series F Notes accrues at 5.39% per annum. The Notes were not rated. The Notes contain certain financial and operating covenants. We were in compliance with those covenants as of December 31, 2014. The proceeds from the Notes were used for general corporate purposes.
The Euro 100 Million Senior Unsecured Guaranteed Notes
On September 30, 2010, we closed a private placement of Euro 100 million senior unsecured guaranteed notes, issued in two series ("Series G" and "Series H"). The aggregate principal amounts of the Series G and Series H Notes are Euro 50 million and Euro 50 million, respectively. The Series G Notes mature on September 15, 2017 and the Series H Notes mature on September 15, 2020. Interest on the Series G Notes accrues at 3.75% per annum and interest on the Series H Notes accrues at 4.25% per annum. The Notes were not rated. The Notes contain certain financial and operating covenants. We were in compliance with those covenants as of December 31, 2014. The proceeds from the Notes were used for general corporate purposes.
The Euro 500 Million Senior Unsecured Guaranteed Notes (Due 2015)
On November 10, 2010, we closed an offering in Europe to institutional investors of Euro 500 million of senior unsecured guaranteed notes due November 10, 2015. The Notes are listed on the Luxembourg
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Stock Exchange under ISIN XS0557635777. Interest on the Notes accrues at 4.00% per annum. The Notes are guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by U.S. Holdings and Luxottica S.r.l. The Notes can be prepaid at our option under certain circumstances. The proceeds from the Notes were used for general corporate purposes. On January 20, 2014, the Notes were assigned an "A-" credit rating by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("Standard & Poor's") The Notes contain certain financial and operating covenants. We were in compliance with those covenants as of December 31, 2014.
The U.S. $350 Million Senior Unsecured Guaranteed Notes
On December 15, 2011, U.S. Holdings closed a private placement of U.S. $350 million senior unsecured guaranteed notes ("Series I"). The Series I Notes mature on December 15, 2021. Interest on the Series I Notes accrues at 4.35% per annum. The proceeds from the Notes were used for general corporate purposes and to refinance existing term debt. The Notes were not rated. The Notes contain certain financial and operating covenants. We were in compliance with those covenants as of December 31, 2014.
The Euro 500 Million Senior Unsecured Guaranteed Notes (Due 2019)
On March 19, 2012, we closed an offering in Europe to institutional investors of Euro 500 million of senior unsecured guaranteed notes due March 19, 2019. The Notes are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange under ISIN XS0758640279. Interest on the Notes accrues at 3.625% per annum. The Notes are guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by U.S. Holdings and Luxottica S.r.l. When issued, the Notes were assigned a "BBB+" credit rating by Standard & Poor's and, on January 20, 2014, the Notes were upgraded to an "A-" credit rating by Standard & Poor's. The Notes contain certain financial and operating covenants. We were in compliance with those covenants as of December 31, 2014.
The Euro 2 Billion Euro Medium Term Note Programme
On April 29, 2013, our Board of Directors authorized a Euro 2 billion Euro Medium Term Note Programme (the "Programme") pursuant to which Luxottica Group S.p.A. may from time to time offer notes to investors in certain jurisdictions (excluding the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia). The Programme was updated on May 9, 2014. The notes issued under this program are expected to be listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.
Euro 500 Million Euro Medium Term Notes (Due 2024)
On February 10, 2014, we completed an offering in Europe to institutional investors of Euro 500 million of senior unsecured guaranteed notes due February 10, 2024 under the Group's Euro Medium Term Note Programme. Interest on the notes accrues at 2.625% per annum. The Notes are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange under ISIN XS1030851791. The Notes are guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by U.S. Holdings and Luxottica S.r.l. The proceeds from the Notes were used for general corporate purposes and to refinance existing term debt. The Notes were assigned an "A-" credit rating by Standard & Poor's. The Notes contain certain operating covenants. We were in compliance with those covenants as of December 31, 2014.
Outstanding Standby Letters of Credit
Certain U.S. subsidiaries have obtained various standby and trade letters of credit from banks that aggregated Euro 40.7 million and Euro 36.9 million as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Most of these letters of credit are used for security in risk management contracts, purchases from foreign vendors or as security on store leases. Most standby letters of credit contain evergreen clauses under which the letter is automatically renewed unless the bank is notified not to renew. Trade letters of credit are for purchases from foreign vendors and are generally outstanding for a period that is less than six
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months. Substantially all the fees associated with maintaining the letters of credit fall within the range of 40 to 60 basis points annually.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments which potentially expose us to concentration of credit risk consist primarily of cash, investments and accounts receivable. We attempt to limit our credit risk associated with cash equivalents by placing our cash balances and investments with highly-rated banks and financial institutions. However, at any time, amounts invested at these banks may be in excess of the amount of insurance provided on such deposits. With respect to accounts receivable, we limit our credit risk by performing ongoing credit evaluations, and certain customers may be required to post security in the form of letters of credit. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, no single customer's balance comprised 10% or more of the overall accounts receivable balance. However, included in accounts receivable as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, was approximately Euro 36.7 million and Euro 23.6 million, respectively, due from the host stores of our U.S. retail division. These receivables represent cash proceeds from sales deposited into the host stores' bank accounts, which are subsequently forwarded to us on a weekly or monthly basis depending on our contract with the particular host store and are based on short-term contract arrangements.
Our Working Capital
Set forth below is certain information regarding our working capital (total current assets minus total current liabilities):
|
As of December 31, | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(Amounts in millions of Euro) |
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
|||||||
Current Assets |
3,167.7 | 2,236.0 | 2,426.9 | |||||||
Current Liabilities |
(2,388.7 | ) | (1,700.4 | ) | (1,805.0 | ) | ||||
| | | | | | | | | | |
Working Capital |
779.0 | 535.6 | 621.9 | |||||||
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
The increase in working capital in 2014 as compared to 2013 is mainly attributable to an increase in cash and cash equivalents as a result of the issuance of Euro 500 million of bonds in the first half of 2014. The decrease in working capital in 2013 as compared to 2012 is mainly attributable to a decrease in commercial receivables and inventory.
We believe that the financial resources available to us will be sufficient to meet our currently anticipated working capital and capital expenditure requirements for the next 24 months.
We do not believe that the relatively moderate rates of inflation which have been experienced in the geographic markets where we compete have had a significant effect on our net sales or profitability. In the past, we have been able to offset cost increases by increasing prices, although we can give no assurance that we will be able to do so in the future.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no material off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenue or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
We use, from time to time, derivative financial instruments, principally interest rate and currency swap agreements, as part of our risk management policy to reduce our exposure to market risks from changes in foreign exchange rates and interest rates (see Note 31 to our Consolidated Financial
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Statements included in Item 18 of this Form 20-F). Although we have not done so in the past, we may enter into other derivative financial instruments when we assess that the risk can be hedged effectively.
Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments
We are party to numerous contractual arrangements consisting of, among other things, royalty agreements with designers, leases for retail store, plant, warehouse and office facilities, as well as certain data processing and automotive equipment, and outstanding borrowings under credit agreements and facilities with financial institutions to finance our operations. These contractual arrangements may contain minimum annual commitments. A more complete discussion of the obligations and commitments is included in Notes 21 and 28 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 18 of this Form 20-F.
The following table summarizes the scheduled maturities of our long-term debt, minimum lease commitments under non-cancelable operating leases, minimum payments under non-cancelable royalty arrangements, purchase commitments (including long-term) and endorsement contracts as of December 31, 2014. The table does not include pension liabilities or liabilities for uncertain tax payments. We cannot make a reasonable and reliable estimate of when or if the uncertain tax payments will be made. Our pension plans are discussed in Note 22 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 18 of this Form 20-F.
|
Payments Due by Period | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contractual Obligations (Amounts in millions of Euro) |
1 Year |
1 to 3 Years |
3 to 5 Years |
After 5 Years |
Total |
|||||||||||
Long-Term Debt and Current Maturities(1)(2) |
626.8 | 115.0 | 683.9 | 889.5 | 2,315.2 | |||||||||||
Interest Payments(3) |
84.5 | 123.0 | 89.5 | 54.0 | 351.0 | |||||||||||
Operating Leases |
337.8 | 489.5 | 279.6 | 225.8 | 1,332.8 | |||||||||||
Minimum Royalty Arrangements(4) |
114.8 | 175.9 | 119.5 | 126.6 | 536.9 | |||||||||||
Long-Term Purchase Commitments(5) |
24.2 | 28.6 | 18.7 | 9.4 | 80.9 | |||||||||||
Endorsement Contracts(6) |
9.5 | 10.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 20.8 | |||||||||||
Other Commitments(7) |
14.1 | 14.2 | 1.0 | | 29.3 | |||||||||||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Total |
1,211.7 | 956.8 | 1,192.7 | 1,305.6 | 4,666.8 | |||||||||||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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At December 31, 2014, we had available funds of approximately Euro 598.1 million under our unused short-term lines of credit. Substantially all of these lines have terms of less than one year, but they have been renewed annually in prior years. For additional information, see Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 18 of this Form 20-F.
ITEM 6. DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES
DIRECTORS AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT
The Board of Directors of Luxottica Group S.p.A. was appointed at the Stockholders' Meeting held on April 27, 2012. It currently consists of 11 members.
The current term of the Board of Directors expires at the time of the approval of the statutory financial statements as of and for the year ending December 31, 2014. The information included in Item 6 relates to the Board of Directors whose term expires upon the approval of the statutory financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2014.
In 2014, four of our directors resigned: Mr. Sergio Erede (on March 13, 2014), Mr. Andrea Guerra (on September 1, 2014), Mr. Enrico Cavatorta (on October 13, 2014) and Mr. Roger Abravanel (on October 13, 2014). On October 29, 2014, Mr. Massimo Vian and Mr. Adil Mehboob-Khan were "co-opted" by the Board of Directors and were appointed as directors of the Company in order to fill the existing vacancies on the Board of Directors.
During 2014, the Company adopted a governance model based on the appointment of two Chief Executive Officers (the "Co-CEO Model") to better respond to the growing complexity of the Group and to the demands of global competition. Following Mr. Andrea Guerra's resignation as Chief Executive Officer, on September 1, 2014, Mr. Enrico Cavatorta was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Functions and ad interim CEO for Markets. Following Mr. Cavatorta's resignation from the Board of Directors on October 13, 2014, the Group's Chairman, Mr. Leonardo Del Vecchio, was temporarily granted (until October 29, 2014) all management authority in anticipation of the implementation of the Co-CEO Model based on separate "Markets" and "Product and Operations" areas of responsibility.
On October 29, 2014, the Board of Directors granted to Mr. Massimo Vian all managing powers on an interim basis. The Co-CEO Model was implemented on January 19, 2015 with the appointment of Mr. Adil Mehboob-Khan as Chief Executive Officer for Markets and Mr. Massimo Vian as Chief Executive Officer for Product and Operations.
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Set forth below is certain information as of April 10, 2015 regarding the directors and senior management of Luxottica Group S.p.A.:
Name |
Age |
Senior Manager or Director(1) Since |
Position |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leonardo Del Vecchio |
79 | 1961 | Chairman of the Board of Directors | ||||
Luigi Francavilla |
77 | 1968/1985 | Deputy Chairman | ||||
Adil Mehboob-Khan |
51 | 2015/2014 | Chief Executive Officer for Markets and Director | ||||
Massimo Vian |
42 | 2005/2014 | Chief Executive Officer for Product and Operations and Director | ||||
Mario Cattaneo |
84 | 2003 | Director | ||||
Claudio Costamagna |
59 | 2006 | Director | ||||
Claudio Del Vecchio |
58 | 1978/1986 | Director | ||||
Elisabetta Magistretti |
67 | 2012 | Director | ||||
Marco Mangiagalli |
66 | 2009 | Director | ||||
Anna Puccio |
51 | 2012 | Director | ||||
Marco Reboa |
59 | 2009 | Director | ||||
Paolo Alberti |
52 | 2009 | President Wholesale | ||||
Nicola Brandolese |
43 | 2012 | President Retail Optical | ||||
Fabio d'Angelantonio |
45 | 2005 | President Retail Luxury and Sun | ||||
Stefano Grassi |
41 | 2007 | Chief Financial Officer | ||||
Nicola Pelà |
52 | 2005 | Group Human Resources Officer | ||||
Enrico Mistron |
45 | 1995 | Chief Information Officer and Global Business Services Officer | ||||
Alessandra Senici |
47 | 2000 | Group Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Officer | ||||
Giorgio Striano |
44 | 2009 | Group Manufacturing Officer | ||||
| | | | | | | |
All information disclosed below regarding compensation, shareholdings and incentive plans also include directors who held the office for part of 2014 and sixteen senior managers, each of whom held office for all or part of 2014.
Executive officers serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Messrs. Cattaneo, Costamagna, Claudio Del Vecchio, Mangiagalli and Reboa and Mses. Magistretti and Puccio are all non-executive directors. In addition, Mses. Magistretti and Puccio and Messrs. Cattaneo, Costamagna, Mangiagalli and Reboa are also independent directors under Italian law. Mr. Abravanel, who resigned on October 13, 2014, also was a non-executive and independent director.
Pursuant to Italian law and our By-laws, a list for the appointment of the Board of Directors can be presented only by stockholders who hold the minimum percentage of the share capital established annually by CONSOB. For 2012, the year in which the current Board of Directors was appointed, the percentage established by CONSOB for Luxottica was equal to 1%. For 2015, the percentage established by CONSOB for Luxottica is equal to 0.5%.
Pursuant to Italian law, we maintain a Board of Statutory Auditors, elected at the Stockholders' Meeting, composed of experts in legal and accounting matters who are required to have no other affiliation with Luxottica Group S.p.A. and who must satisfy certain professional and other standards.
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The Board of Statutory Auditors, comprised of three regular members and two alternate members, is required to verify that we (i) comply with applicable law and our By-laws, (ii) respect the principles of correct administration, (iii) maintain adequate organizational structure, internal controls and administrative and accounting systems, (iv) ensure that our accounting system represents the facts in a fair and true manner and (v) give adequate instructions to our subsidiaries. The Board also supervises the manner in which we comply with the Code of Corporate Governance issued by Borsa Italiana S.p.A. It also supervises our financial reporting process, the effectiveness of our internal auditing system and risk assessment, the audit work and the independence of our auditing firm. Although members of the Board of Statutory Auditors are required to attend the meetings of the Board of Directors and of the stockholders, they are not deemed to be members of the Board of Directors and do not vote on matters submitted to such meetings. At the Stockholders Meeting on April 27, 2012, the following individuals were appointed as members of the Board of Statutory Auditors: Francesco Vella, who is Chairman, Barbara Tadolini and Alberto Giussani. The following individuals were also appointed as alternate members of the Board of Statutory Auditors: Giorgio Silva and Fabrizio Riccardo Di Giusto. The alternate members will replace current members who leave their position during the current term. Francesco Vella and Fabrizio Riccardo Di Giusto were selected from a list submitted by minority stockholders. Alberto Giussani, Barbara Tadolini and Giorgio Silva were selected from a list submitted by Delfin S.à r.l. The current term of the Board of Statutory Auditors expires at the time of the approval of the statutory financial statements as of and for the year ending December 31, 2014.
See Item 16G"Corporate GovernanceSummary of the Significant Differences Between Our Corporate Governance Practices and the Corporate Governance Standards of the New York Stock Exchange" for more information regarding the designation of the Board of Statutory Auditors to act as our "Audit Committee" as defined in the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
On July 26, 2012, the Board of Directors approved certain amendments to our By-laws as required by Italian law no. 120/2011 in order to ensure gender equality in the composition of the Board of Directors and the Board of Statutory Auditors. Please see Item 10"Additional Information" for further details regarding the requirements set forth under the law no. 120/2011.
Pursuant to the Italian Code of Corporate Governance, issued by Borsa Italiana, we also maintain a Human Resources Committee, elected from the members of the Board of Directors. The Human Resources Committee has verification, advisory and proposal making functions, including, among others: (i) proposing to the Board of Directors the Group remuneration policy, (ii) recommending to the Board of Directors the remuneration payable to the Company's Directors with additional responsibilities and determining the remuneration criteria for senior management of the Company and of the entire Group and (iii) reviewing the Luxottica Group employees' incentive plans and making proposals to the Board of Directors regarding the beneficiaries of the plans. The Human Resources Committee also evaluates the organizational requirements of the Group and the actions taken to assign key positions ("succession plans") and makes inquiries for the preparation and revision of succession plans adopted by the Board of Directors. The members of the Human Resources Committee are independent directors Claudio Costamagna, who acts as Chairman, Anna Puccio and Marco Mangiagalli, who was appointed by the Board of Directors on October 22, 2014 following the resignation of Mr. Abravanel, who held the office until October 13, 2014. The term of the Human Resources Committee is co-extensive with the term of our Board of Directors since its members are also members of our Board of Directors.
We also have a Control and Risk Committee, which is composed of the following independent directors: Mario Cattaneo, Chairman, Marco Mangiagalli, Elisabetta Magistretti and Marco Reboa. The Control and Risk Committee is responsible for performing investigations, providing advice and submitting proposals to the Board of Directors. In particular, the Control and Risk Committee (i) assists the Board of Directors in the execution of its internal control tasks and mandates, (ii) evaluates the planned initiatives and projects of the Internal Auditing function, (iii) reviews and assesses the regular reports issued by the Internal Auditing function, (iv) assesses, together with the manager responsible for the preparation of the Company's accounting records and the managers and the auditors, the proper
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use and application of accounting principles, (v) assesses the results of the activities performed by the Internal Auditing function, (vi) expresses opinions concerning the identification and management of corporate risks and (vii) expresses opinions concerning the planning, implementation and management of the internal control system.
See Item 16G"Corporate GovernanceSummary of the Significant Differences Between Our Corporate Governance Practices and the Corporate Governance Standards of the New York Stock Exchange" for more information regarding the designation of the Human Resources Committee to act as our compensation committee.
A short biography of each of our Directors and executive officers is set forth below:
Leonardo Del Vecchio is the founder of our operations and has been Chairman of the Company since its incorporation. In 1986, the President of the Republic of Italy conferred on Mr. Del Vecchio the honor of Cavaliere dell'Ordine al "Merito del Lavoro" (Knight of the Order for Labor Merit). In May 1995, he received an honorary degree in Business Administration from the Venice Ca' Foscari University. In 1999, he received a Master "honoris causa" in International Business from MIB-Management School in Trieste. In 2002, he received an honorary degree in Managerial Engineering from the University of Udine and, in March 2006, Mr. Del Vecchio received another honorary degree in Materials Engineering from Politecnico of Milan. Furthermore, in December 2012, Mr. Del Vecchio received from CUOA Foundation a master "honoris causa" in Business Administration. Mr. Del Vecchio is also a director of Beni Stabili S.p.A. SIIQ, GiVi Holding S.p.A. and Gianni Versace S.p.A., Vice Chairman of Foncière des Régions S.A. and a director of Delfin S.à r.l., Aterno S.a.r.l. and Kairos Julius Baer SIM.
Luigi Francavilla joined the Group in 1968, has been Director since 1985, Deputy Chairman since 1991, and was, until June 2010, the Chief Quality Officer of the Group. From 1977 until May 2009, he was Group Product and Design Director. From 1972 to 1977, Mr. Francavilla was General Manager of Luxottica S.r.l. and, from 1969 to 1971, he served as Technical General Manager of Luxottica S.r.l. In addition, he is Chairman of Luxottica S.r.l. and Luxottica Tristar (Dongguan) Optical Co. Ltd., two of our principal operating subsidiaries. Mr. Francavilla is also a Director in the Venice branch of the Bank of Italy. In April 2000, he received an honorary degree in Business Administration from Constantinian University in Cranston, Rhode Island, U.S.A. In 2011, he was appointed Grande Ufficiale of the Italian Republic. In 2012, the President of the Republic of Italy conferred on Mr. Francavilla the honor of Cavaliere dell'Ordine al "Merito del Lavoro" (Knight of the Order for Labor Merit).
Adil Mehboob-Khan was appointed as a Director of the Company on October 29, 2014 and Chief Executive Officer for Markets on January 19, 2015. Prior to joining Luxottica, Mr. Mehboob-Khan held a number of marketing and general management positions at The Procter & Gamble Company, where he began his career in 1987. In 2009, he was appointed Vice President in charge of all European Retail Beauty Businesses. From 2011 to 2014, he was President, Global Salon Professional & Wella. Mr. Mehboob-Khan holds a degree in engineering from the University of London. He also serves as a Director of Luxottica U.S. Holdings Corp. and OPSM Group Pty Limited.
Massimo Vian was appointed as a Director of the Company on October 29, 2014, undertaking ad interim all managing powers until January 19, 2015, when he was appointed Chief Executive Officer for Product and Operations. Mr. Vian joined the Group in 2005 as Industrial Engineering Director. From 2007 to 2010, he served as Asia Operations Director, and he was subsequently appointed as Group Chief Operations Director and assumed the responsibility for the Company's Zero Waste initiative in 2013. Mr. Vian holds a degree in Management Engineering from the University of Padova. Prior to joining Luxottica, he held different roles at Nacco Materials Handling, EFESO Consulting, Key Safety Systems and Momo S.r.l. Mr. Vian is also Chief Executive Officer of Luxottica S.r.l. and serves as a Director of Luxottica U.S. Holdings Corp. and OPSM Group Pty Limited.
Mario Cattaneo has been a Director since 2003. He is emeritus professor of Corporate Finance at the Catholic University of Milan. He was a director of Eni S.p.A. from 1998 until 2005 and of Unicredito from 1999 until 2005 and Statutory Auditor of the Bank of Italy from 1991 until 1999. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Salini Impregilo S.p.A. and Bracco S.p.A. He is an auditor of Michelin Italiana Sami S.p.A.
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Claudio Costamagna has been a Director since 2006. Mr. Costamagna holds a business administration degree and has held important offices in Citigroup, Montedison and Goldman Sachs where he served for many years as Chairman of the Investment Banking division for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He is currently Chairman of "CC e Soci S.r.l.", a financial advisory boutique he founded, and a member of the International Advisory Board of the Bocconi University. Mr. Costamagna is Chairman of Salini Impregilo S.p.A. and AAA S.A.. He is also director of FTI Consulting Inc.
Claudio Del Vecchio, a son of Leonardo Del Vecchio, joined the Group in 1978 and has been a Director since 1986. From 1979 to 1982, he managed our Italian and German distribution operations. From 1982 until 1997, he was responsible for all business operations of the Group in North America. He also serves as a Director of Luxottica U.S. Holdings Corp., a key subsidiary in North America. Claudio Del Vecchio is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Brooks Brothers Group, Inc.
Elisabetta Magistretti became a Director of Luxottica Group S.p.A. on April 27, 2012. She graduated with honors from Bocconi University with a degree in Business and Economics. Ms. Magistretti is a Certified Chartered Public Accountant. She began her career at Arthur Andersen in 1972, where she became a partner in 1984. In 2001, she joined Unicredit Group as Head of the Administrative Government; from 2006 to 2009 she was responsible for the Group Internal Audit Department. From 2002 to 2009, she served on the Board of "Fondo Interbancario di Tutela dei Depositi," from 2002 to 2011, she served on the Management Board of "Organismo Italiano di Contabilità" and from 2006 to 2009, she was a member of the Supervisory Board of Unicredit S.p.A. From 2003 until early 2013, she was a Director of Unicredit Audit. From 2010 until 2012, she was a member of the Unicredit Bulbank Audit Committee and of the Supervisory Board of Zao Unicredit Russia, where she was Chairman of the Audit Committee. From 2011 to 2012, she was an independent director of Gefran S.p.A. She is also member of the Board of Directors of Pirelli & C. S.p.A. and Mediobanca S.p.A.
Marco Mangiagalli became a Director on April 29, 2009. Mr. Mangiagalli received a degree in Political Economy from Bocconi University in 1973. Most of his career has been with Eni Group; he also has had working experience with Barclays Group in Italy and the Nuovo Banco Ambrosiano Group. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors for Agip S.p.A., Polimeri Europa S.p.A., Nuovo Pignone S.p.A., Snamprogetti S.p.A., Saipem S.p.A., Eni International Holding B.V., Albacom S.p.A., Emittenti Titoli S.p.A. and Oil Investment Corp. He also has been Chairman of Eni Coordination Center S.A., Eni Bank Ltd/Banque Eni S.A. and of Enifin S.p.A. From August 2008 to May 2011, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors for Saipem S.p.A. He is a member of the Supervisory Board of Intesa San Paolo S.p.A.
Anna Puccio became a Director of Luxottica Group S.p.A. on April 27, 2012. Ms. Puccio graduated from the Venice University Ca' Foscari with a degree in Business Administration and holds a post-graduate degree in International Business from CUOA Business School. She started her career at Microsoft Corp. in the United States in 1987. Thereafter, from 1990 to 2001, Ms. Puccio worked for Procter & Gamble Corp. in various countries, including Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and Switzerland and, most recently, as Marketing Director Europe in its Beauty Care Business Unit. From 2001 to 2004, she was Chief Executive Officer of Zed-TeliaSonera Italy and, from 2005 to 2006, Chief Executive Officer of Sony Ericsson Italy. From 2008 to 2009, Ms. Puccio was Senior Strategy Advisor for Accenture Mobility Operative Services. From 2006 to 2012, she was a member of the Board of Directors of Buongiorno S.p.A. Since 2010, Ms. Puccio has been the Group Managing Director of CGM, National Group of Social Enterprises. In February 2014, Ms. Puccio was appointed as Company Secretary and a member of the Board of Directors of Fondazione Italiana Accenture and is a member of the Board of Directors of Amplifon S.p.A.
Marco Reboa became a Director on April 29, 2009. Mr. Reboa received a degree in Business Economics from Bocconi University in 1978. He has been registered in the Register of Chartered
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Accountants of Milan since 1982 and he is an auditor pursuant to Ministerial Decree since 1995. He is currently a professor at the Faculty of Law at the Libero Istituto Universitario Carlo Cattaneo in Castellanza, Italy and works in private practice in Milan, specializing in extraordinary financial transactions. Mr. Reboa has published books and articles on financial statements, economic appraisals and corporate governance. He is editor-in-chief of the Magazine of Chartered Accountants. Mr. Reboa was the Chairman of the Luxottica Group S.p.A. Board of Statutory Auditors from June 14, 2006 until April 29, 2009. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Carraro S.p.A.
Paolo Alberti joined Luxottica Group in May 2009 and is President Wholesale. Prior to joining Luxottica, he was Executive VP at Bulgari Parfums where he was responsible for the development, marketing, logistics and commercialization of Bulgari Perfumes and Cosmetics. He was also responsible for the Bulgari eyewear license with Luxottica. Prior to being at Bulgari, he was General Manager at L'Oréal, Consumer Division, Director at Johnson & Johnson and Advertising Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble. Mr. Alberti holds a B.S. in Civil Management Engineering from the University of the Pacific (California, USA) and a Master in Business Administration from Bocconi University.
Nicola Brandolese became President of Retail Optical Americas in January 2014 and was appointed President Retail Optical in 2015. He joined Luxottica in 2012 as Group Business Development Director and Chief Digital Officer. Before joining Luxottica, from 2003 to 2012, Mr. Brandolese spent nine years with News Corporation, where he led marketing, sales and product management as Executive Vice President of Sky. Between 1997 and 2003, Mr. Brandolese served as Project Leader with The Boston Consulting Group and as Director of Sales and Business Strategy at Sapient Corporation. Prior to working in management consulting, Mr. Brandolese led Purchasing and Logistics at Erikstone OY AB in Finland. Mr. Brandolese holds a Master's degree in Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan and a BEP degree from Boston's Babson College.
Fabio d'Angelantonio was appointed to lead the Retail Luxury and Sun Business at the beginning of 2009, while maintaining the role of Chief Marketing Officer that he has held since 2005. After experience with the European Union and in the Olivetti Marketing Department in Brussels and Madrid, Mr. d'Angelantonio led the international department from 1995 to 2000 for the Belgian publishing house Editions Hemma (part of the Havas-Vivendi group). At the beginning of 2000, Mr. d'Angelantonio joined Ciaoweb (Fiat-Ifil group) where he held the position of Channel Manager, eventually moving to Merloni Elettrodomestici, today Indesit Company, where he held increasingly senior positions ending in Brand & Advertising Manager, responsible for the management of the entire brand portfolio for the group. After receiving a degree in Business Administration in 1994 from the LUISS University in Rome, he completed an MBA in International Management at the UBI in Brussels in 1999.
Stefano Grassi was appointed Chief Financial Officer on October 29, 2014. Mr. Grassi joined the Group in 2007 as Finance Manager Luxottica Retail North America and from 2008 to 2012 he served as Group Retail Financial Controller. In 2012, he became Group Controlling & Forecasting Director. Before joining Luxottica, Mr. Grassi held various positions at General Electric in Italy, the United States, Spain, France and Hungary until 2005, when he became CFO of General Electric Capital Commercial Finance Italy. Mr. Grassi holds a degree in Business Administration from La Sapienza University in Rome.
Enrico Mistron joined the Group in 1995, after graduating with a degree in Business Administration from the University of Venice. Over the last 20 years, Mr. Mistron assumed roles of increasing responsibility in different strategic areas within the Group, including Administration, Finance and Business Controlling, along with Planning and Supply Chain. In 2007, he became Group Financial Controller and, in 2010, Supply Chain Director. In 2015, he was appointed Chief Information Officer and Global Business Services Director.
Nicola Pelà has been Group Human Resources Officer since 2005. Before joining Luxottica, he held a number of HR positions in Olivetti, Fiat, Barilla and SmithKline Beecham. He has lived and worked in Italy, the United States and Belgium. Mr. Pelà has a bachelor's degree in Law with honors and a
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master's degree in Business Administration from CUOA (Centro Universitario di Organizzazione Aziendale).
Alessandra Senici has served as the Group Investor Relations Director at Luxottica Group since May 2007 and, in September 2014, widened her responsibilities by taking over the leadership of Corporate Communications, being appointed as Group Investor Relations and Communications Officer. Ms. Senici joined the Group in February 2000. She was previously an Equity Analyst with Rasfin Sim and Cariplo S.p.a., where she also worked on primary and secondary offerings together with the corporate finance and equity capital markets teams. She also has currency trading experience. Ms. Senici holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Brescia, is a member of A.I.R., the Italian Association of Investor Relations Officers, and a member of the steering committee of Valore D, an association of large companies formed in Italy in order to support women's leadership in the corporate world.
Giorgio Striano was appointed Group Manufacturing Officer of the Company in March 2015. Mr. Striano joined the Company in 2009 as Senior Vice President, Oakley Operations. In 2013, Mr. Striano increased his responsibilities by assuming leadership for Luxottica's optical manufacturing and lens procurement functions and, in 2014, he transitioned to lead Luxottica's manufacturing operations in Italy. Mr. Striano holds a degree in electrical engineering and a master's degree in advanced industrial marketing from INSEAD in Singapore. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Striano gained manufacturing and general management experience at The Procter & Gamble Company and Manuli Rubber Industries.
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COMPENSATION
Set forth below is information regarding total compensation paid to the members of our Board of Directors and our Board of Statutory Auditors for services rendered to Luxottica Group S.p.A. and our subsidiaries during 2014 and remuneration to Senior Managers who held office for all or a portion of 2014 (amounts in Euros).
Compensation paid to directors, general managers, auditors and other executives with strategic responsibilities (in Euro)