Luxury eyewear manufacturer and distributor Luxottica Group (NYSE: LUX) certainly has turned its eye towards profits. Despite the continuing erosion of the U.S. dollar against the Euro, Luxottica's July 26 2Q earnings report looks good. The only blind spot is Luxottica's inability to capitalize on its retail sector, particularly in the U.S. market. That is not to say Luxottica is not trying. The company has recently acquired 870 additional retail locations globally, and is aggressively establishing a retail presence in China and South Africa. In order to strengthen its brands in the U.S., Luxottica is unveiling a new line of eyewear products under a licensing agreement with Polo Ralph Lauren. Within the next several quarters, Luxottica intends to launch an ultra-luxury (obscenely overpriced?) eyewear brand named ILORI as part of a full luxury line. Perhaps the problem in its retail sector stems from Luxottica's inability to define precisely what type of eyewear distributor it is. While going after the vanity eyewear market of the uber-wealthy, Luxottica also owns LensCrafters and Sunglass Hut, the epitome of value-driven suburban mall retail demographics.

Despite problems in its retail sector, and being repreatedly hammered by exchange rate fluctuations, Luxottica continues to post good numbers. The company posted its ninth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth in its wholesale sector. In the most recent quarter, wholesale sales were up 17.5%. This gain follows 1Q 2007 wholesale gains of 20.4%. For the first half of 2007, wholesale sector operating income has increased 24.5%, which certainly helps to offset a 12% decline in retail operating income for the same period. Wholesale sales in emerging markets have increased by 50% during the previous quarter with so sign of a slowdown. On the basis of recent wholesale figures, Luxottica CEO Andrea Guerra raised FY guidance for growth in consolidated EPS to the 26-29% range, excluding the impact of exchange rate fluctuations, always a major concern to potential and current shareholders. For the first half of 2007, consolidated EPS stands at $0.83.

Luxottica stock is up over 15% from the beginning of the year, closing on 9 August at $35.50. Investors with a tolerance for currency volatility may wish to look into Luxottica.

This morning, the world's largest eyewear maker, Luxottica Group SpA (NYSE: LUX), announced it would acquire U.S. sunglasses maker Oakley Inc (NYSE: OO) in an all-cash deal for around $2.1 billion, or $29.30 per share.

In what could be a "win-win situation for both companies," in the words of analysts at Morgan Keegan, Luxottica said the combination could offer an opportunity to create new eyewear categories and "enhanced economies of scale." Indeed, an Oakley acquisition should complement Luxottica, which owns the RayBan, Chanel, Prada and Versace lines, and help it transition into the sporting goods sector. Conversely, Oakley, which has been cutting back on its other lines that include footwear and apparel to focus more on its eyewear offerings, should fit Luxottica like a glove.

UBS analyst Laura Leonardelli believes an acquisition of Oakley would increase Lux's sales by around 12% in 2008. Additionally, it would allow Luxottica to further solidify its presence in the U.S. and other markets.

After the announcement, shares of Oakley were up 12% and Luxottica traded around 8% higher, signalling that investors agreed this was a good deal for all involved. The deal has been approved by both company boards and is expected to be finalized in the second half of 2007.

When looking into Luxottica Group (NYSE: LUX) from an investor standpoint, a couple big moves which have recently taken place signal to me that Luxottica is taking a position for the long haul. Luxottica Group may be more well known to you by some of their eye-wear brand-names -- Brooks Brothers, Donna Karan, Prada and Ray-Ban. Luxottica is the world's single largest eye-wear / eye-care firm, marketing thousands of eyeglass designs under at least 25 brand names.

Some of the most significant company movements that grabbed my attention are not to be taken lightly. This is a very well focused company with an aggressive vision for the future. (Puns are included at no extra charge).The single most powerful event I have seen initiated by Luxottica was the November announced acquisition of D.O.C. Optics to include some 100 retail establishments operated by D.O.C. nation wide. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2007 for an amount of approximately $90 million. As of this writing the deal is passing cleanly through financial processing and regulatory approval.