Luxottica's modern, open-plan Hammersmith offices couldn't be much further removed from its previous unit abutting London's busy North Circular in Neasden.
The new premises, with a slick reception area, impressive showroom and uncluttered space, are handily placed next door to an Italian restaurant and are described by managing director UK and Ireland Andrea Dorigo as a physical manifestation of a friendlier, more customer-centred service provider.
The space was thought out from a blank page in terms of needs and is more fitting for the UK headquarters of the biggest fashion eyewear supplier in the world and its sister company Sunglass Hut.
'We were in a location that didn't do us any good, even as a working environment. Hammersmith offers a good combination of factors. It is central and easy to get to from Heathrow as well as from outside London, without being in the congestion charge area,' he says.
Dorigo - no connection to another Italian frame firm with a similar sounding name - actually worked at Safilo in business development prior to his move to Luxottica early last year. He has a background in consultancy and adds that none of the change has come about by accident, with the company using focus groups at the start of the year as it looked at making improvements. 'In nine months, we have turned over every single stone. It was challenging and we took some criticism,' says Dorigo, who admits that Luxottica in the past maybe had too much of an 'Italian approach' to the product and, more specifically, the commercial side.
Key market
'The UK is a key market. Andrea Guerra our CEO strongly believes we can do more and be closer to our customers. We wanted to go from being the Italian guys with the brands who people had to deal with, to being a partner of choice - more English. I want customers to think we are fantastic and we also have fantastic brands.'
A leaflet entitled We're moving…closer to you was produced for customers, telling them of the April move and highlighting Luxottica UK's new customer focus.
This is seen in one of the main developments at Hammersmith, a call centre with a team of 12. A flat-screen TV above the section gives key performance indicators including response time.
'The call centre is the front-facing bit of our organisation. It is one of the main areas of improvement. We're not there yet but will be soon. Before, we were okay at order taking, providing a service. But now we are starting to get letters praising the call centre. We have gone from answering calls to serving customers.
'It is all about making the person on the other end of the line feel that they are getting a service, not just ordering a product.'
He points out that if the sales force works intensely all day, each meeting an average of five customers, that is roughly 250 customers a day in total, but the call centre is in touch with 1,000-1,200 customers every Monday, for example.
'These 12 people have so much exposure to our customers. We've given them the best location in the office, with state-of-the-art equipment. They are the heroes of our organisation and they get congratulated when they are doing particularly well. There's a fantastic atmosphere cascading down. May was a tough month, with long waiting times, but we've sorted that out.' Another benefit he says is that the company is handling objections and emergencies much better now and it plans to improve other processes, such as making invoices and statements more customer friendly.
'Companies can get away with a not so good service, but that's not the way to go about it. We have looked at it from the customer's point of what they need from Luxottica to be happy.'
Company growth
In another development, Luxottica has also recently opened an office in Dublin. 'You can't get the service right if you are not there. There's been fantastic growth in Ireland so it is a pity not to be there. It's a young, vibrant and very fashion-conscious audience.'
While Luxottica UK and Ireland is growing, with Dolce & Gabbana doing particularly well, there are no plans to follow the parent company's investment in retailing, most recently in China.
'Luxottica is expanding in parts of the world where it makes sense and Europe is not in the scope. It is not easy to do business in China, so we have bought retail outlets.
'We enjoy a strong relationship all over Europe with our customers, so it is not in our plan to expand,' says Dorigo.
In fact, he is particularly enthusiastic about the increasing strength of independents in the customer portfolio.
'We are doing fantastically well with independents, with strong sales and relationships. We had an even split but now independents outweigh the multiples.'
Dorigo adds that it is not an exaggeration to say that the company has invested heavily so that customers can exploit Luxottica's strengths, both in the new developments and promotion of its product.
'We are consistently investing in promoting our brands, spending more than we did last year, with more television advertising planned for Ray-Ban. Something that people underestimate is that we invest a lot of money in building brands, together with the fashion names.'
He does feel, though, that independents are missing an opportunity with sunglasses. 'Opticians are professionals, but they have this fantastic opportunity to work with brands and accessories without diminishing their professional status in optics. Service is paramount in their business, taking care of sight. Opticians can do something to help consumers see better, but they can also help them to look better too.'
While opticians are beginning to advise customers, he feels there are plenty of consumers out there who could do better with their eyewear, especially when you see the 'beautiful, eccentric frames and sunglasses' that are worn in Milan, for example.
'Sometimes I see people on the tube wearing awful eyewear and I could give them 10 different frames to make them look younger. At the end of the day, you can get away with a not-so-nice pair of trousers, unlike a not-so-good frame. A frame that suits and fits and matches the colour of the eyes is fantastic.'
He highlights the bespoke element of eyewear, saying that the only other business that is similar is tailoring. 'In optics every piece is tailor-made, with the variety of shapes, sizes and colours and the special combination of lenses. There's nothing like having something bespoke, and in the fashion industry all the big names are setting up tailor-made clothing collections.'
While there is no suggestion that Luxottica will go for bespoke luxury buffalo horn or wood eyewear, Dorigo points to the wide range of product from entry price to the exclusive Bvlgari and Chanel. 'We need to focus on the things we know how to do well. We are good at delivering premium quality and premium design at a price that is still affordable.
'We've got a fantastic portfolio now. The fact is as a company we have gone through a phase when all the brands want to be with us. We've said no to quite a lot of proposals, as we are committed to the brands we have. We don't want an oversized portfolio.'
That said, there are two new brands coming on line, with Burberry in October and Polo Ralph Lauren in January 2007. 'We're looking to do something fantastic with these brands. Burberry is such an asset and in fashion terms we hold it in very high regard. Polo Ralph Lauren is a US name, but in the past few years it has devoted lots of attention to Europe, recently supplying outfits for the Wimbledon Championship.'
He clearly feels that Luxottica is well positioned in a market where brand awareness is increasing. 'Something we bring to the table is brand recognition, with good quality product and a nice design.
'If you combine the service of an independent optician with a branded item that people are looking for, you have a fantastic opportunity,' says Dorigo. To help with this, the new showroom in the Hammersmith offices enables the collections to be shown in their entirety and allows for training opportunities, giving practitioners advice on how to choose the best product for their practices and on what's trendy and working in the market.
The recent leaflet on the move concludes with 'Come round to see us. Pop in for coffee. You'll always be welcome'.
You never know, if you check out the new offices, you might even wangle a visit to the neighbouring Italian restaurant.