Brooks Brothers and Luxottica Renew Global Eyewear License Agreement for An Additional Five Years

NEW YORK and MILAN, March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Retail Brand Alliance, Inc., and Luxottica Group S.p.A. (NYSE: LUX; MTA: LUX), a leader in premium fashion, luxury and sports eyewear, announced today a five-year extension of the license agreement for the design, production and worldwide distribution of prescription frames and sunglasses under the Brooks Brothers brand.

The new agreement will run through December 2014, with an option for a further five-year extension under the same terms.

The terms were substantially unchanged from those of the previous agreement.

Claudio Del Vecchio, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Retail Brand Alliance, Inc., as well as its largest shareholder, is also member of the Board of Directors of Luxottica Group S.p.A.

About Luxottica Group S.p.A.

Luxottica Group is a leader in premium fashion, luxury and sports eyewear, with over 6,200 optical and sun retail stores in North America, Asia-Pacific, China, South Africa and Europe and a strong and well-balanced brand portfolio. Luxottica's key house brands include Ray-Ban, the best known sun eyewear brand in the world, Oakley, Vogue, Persol, Oliver Peoples, Arnette and REVO, while license brands include Bvlgari, Burberry, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Polo Ralph Lauren, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tiffany and Versace. In addition to a global wholesale network covering 130 countries, the Group manages leading retail brands such as LensCrafters and Pearle Vision in North America, OPSM and Laubman & Pank in Australasia, LensCrafters in Greater China and Sunglass Hut globally. The Group's products are designed and manufactured in six Italy-based manufacturing plants, two wholly-owned plants in China and a sports sunglass production facility in the U.S. In 2009, Luxottica Group posted consolidated net sales of Euro 5.1 billion. Additional information about the Group is available at www.luxottica.com.

About Brooks Brothers

As America's oldest retailer, Brooks Brothers has long been a fashion innovator. Established in 1818, Brooks Brothers was the first to offer ready-to-wear clothing and has continued throughout history with iconic product introductions including: seersucker, madras, the non-iron shirt and the original button-down collar.

Nearly two centuries later, Brooks Brothers is proud to uphold the same traditions and values and to be the destination for ladies and gentlemen from every generation. Since its founding 192 years ago in New York, Brooks Brothers has become a legendary international retailer while maintaining a steadfast commitment to exceptional service, quality, style and value. Brooks Brothers currently operates stores internationally including the United States, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Chile and Dubai. The company also sells its merchandise through a direct mail catalog and e-commerce site, brooksbrothers.com. Brooks Brothers was acquired in December 2001 by Retail Brand Alliance, Inc., a privately-owned company which is specialized in manufacturing, merchandising and retailing. For more information visit www.brooksbrothers.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those which are anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the ability to manage the effect of the poor current global economic conditions on our business, the ability to successfully acquire new businesses and integrate their operations, the ability to predict future economic conditions and changes in consumer preferences, the ability to successfully introduce and market new products, the ability to maintain an efficient distribution network, the ability to achieve and manage growth, the ability to negotiate and maintain favorable license arrangements, the availability of correction alternatives to prescription eyeglasses, fluctuations in exchange rates, as well as other political, economic and technological factors and other risks and uncertainties described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update them.

SOURCE Luxottica Group S.p.A.