EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ—Luxottica and Hudson, a travel experience business with more than 1,000 stores in airports, commuter hubs, landmarks and tourist destinations across North America, have announced plans for in-store Sunglass Hut shop-in-shops. Under the partnership, Hudson will be able to open 250 Sunglass Hut shop-in-shops within its Hudson and localized convenience stores across North America. This comes on the heels of a successful pilot at Richmond International Airport earlier this year. Now, Hudson plans to open nine additional shop-in-shops by August, with a phased approached continuing into 2022.

The Sunglass Hut shop-in-shops will be powered by STARS, Luxottica’s advanced business model designed to manage store product assortment. Shop-in-shop size will vary by store, but will feature the displays and try-on experiences associated with Sunglass Hut.

The shops will feature collections from Sunglass Hut’s proprietary eyewear brands, Ray- Ban and Oakley. Hudson team members will use Luxottica and Sunglass Hut’s proprietary digital training solution to undergo training on the collections, which includes material construction, sales techniques, sunglass fashion, and brand DNA.

In addition, Hudson currently operates 5th & Sunset, its proprietary sunglass and accessory stores, and freestanding Sunglass Hut stores in certain airports.

Brian Quinn, EVP and chief operating officer of Hudson said, "We’ve always known that eyewear and travel are intrinsically linked, making them an essential part of our core market offerings. Through our partnership with Luxottica and Sunglass Hut, we’re creating an eyewear shopping destination with top brands for our customers inside our travel convenience concepts.”

Giorgio Pradi, Sunglass Hut’s general manager of North America, said, “Sunglass Hut is pleased to enter into this relationship with Hudson, where we can provide premium sunglasses in convenient locations. We know that the combination of Luxottica sunglasses, training and inventory management, with Hudson’s retail operational excellence will provide travelers on the go with a convenient way to shop for the premium eyewear they know and love."