• New York Times, Wednesday, July 21, 2010 10:45 AM

It's decidedly not your father's LensCrafters: It has a wind tunnel, a concierge and it's shaped like an eyeball. Luxottica's Eye Hub, a 16,000-square-foot store in Australia, is an experiment in interactive merchandising, Stephanie Clifford tells us -- sort of a cross between Disneyland and an Apple store.

The space is designed to make buying eyewear more of an event than a chore and hopefully will entice customers from discount chains and online shopping. Luxottica will also use the store as a live research and development lab and will replicate elements that catch on with consumers in its existing retail outlets. Ten to 15 more Eye Hubs -- with units planned for the U.S., China and Britain -- are expected over the next three years.

"Crises are not only about negative things," says Andrea Guerra, Luxottica's global CEO. "Where the world is changing and changing fast, your thoughts have to be bold."

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