Vuarnet striving to become the luxury eyewear leader in the USA 

By

Anne-Sophie Savenier

Published
Nov 3, 2014

Backed by an excellent image acquired in the past, eyewear brand Vuarnet is returning Stateside with one goal in mind: to become the leader in luxury eyewear in North America.

To do so, Vuarnet is relying as much on its expertise in terms of eye protection as on the timeless and iconic style of its glasses.

The brand, which launched twenty-six models available in three to four colors in the USA this year, thus expects that number to go up to thirty as of January 2015.

That's almost just half of the offering in France, where the brand has some fifty models (or 200 articles), but the label is also planning on launching capsule collections specially designed for the American market.

A rather logical decision since the models presented are the same ones as those designed for France, except for a few whose colors have been directly adapted for American consumers.

In addition, Vuarnet, which hopes to attract the 25-45 socio-professional age bracket with an active and dynamic lifestyle, targeted at a high-end placement will sell for an average price of 220 euros (275 US dollars), with the lowest pair retailing at €160 euros (200 dollars) and ranging up to 425 euros (530 dollars).

For their distribution, the brand is hoping to use a network of retailers but is above all striving to only be present at the best opticians.

A restrictive strategy since this only means 1% of the network in the United States and Canada, or 600 opticians in total.

Since its recent installment, the brand has managed to find a place in more than eighty retailers, especially in the posh ski resorts of Colorado (Aspen, Vail, and Snowmass) and Whistler in Canada but its long-term goal is to cover the entire American territory.

However, while Vuarnet may have some considerable ambitions for the North American continent, that doesn't mean it will be neglecting Europe.

In fact, it is simultaneously positioning itself in Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, following the same strategic line as in the United States.