The successful history of Sunglass Hut started in 1971 with a small shop in mall from Miami. It’s creator, Sanford Ziff, managed to open in the following years more and more outlets and by 1986, the total sales of the business had risen to a staggering $24 million per year.
The business continued to grow and businessman Sanford Ziff sold at the end of the 1990s 75% of the company’s shares to an investment firm from Connecticut. Him and his family remained in the management of the company for several years. After his retirement, the family sold the entire company. Sunglass Hut reached a total sales figure of $100 million and covered almost 30% of the sunglasses market in the US. The company became opened to public with an initial public offer of US$ 70 million.
The company also developed two watch brands called “Watch Station” and “Watch World” and in February 2000 it was bought by Luxottica Group for a breath-taking US$653 million. The new owner took possession of the 1300 SunglassHut stores and another 658 outlets which sold sunglasses and watches or just watches.
After being bought by the italian group Luxottica, the company started a repositioning process of its brand in order to emphasize the fashionability of its products.
Among the many high-quality brands available you can find names like Adrienne, Vittadini, Bolle, Bvlgari, Chanel, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana, Maui Jim, Oakley, Polo – Ralph Lauren, Prada, Ray-Ban, Revo, Salvatore Ferragamo, Serengeti, Versace, Vogue and many others.
Regarding the prices of Sunglass Hut products you must know that these aren’t your ordinary sunglasses you can buy from the nearest shop. S. Hut sunglasses are defined as performance eyewear focused on fashion. These brands are seldom available at prices lower than US$100.