MILAN--Luxottica Group’s 1,970-unit Sunglass Hut chain will be expanding into Thailand through a newly signed franchise agreement with privately held international firm Diethelm Keller.

Initial plans call for 15 Sunglass Hut stores to open in Thailand; the chain currently has 220 stores in the Asia Pacific region, in markets such as Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Said Chris Beer, chief executive officer of Luxottica’s retail business in Australasia, southeast Asia and South Africa, “The entry into Thailand strengthens our presence in southeast Asia, a high-potential growth region for the sun retail business. It is also an example of the significant additional opportunities for additional growth that the group sees for Sunglass Hut both in the region and globally. Specifically, this transaction represents an important step in the development of the Sunglass Hut brand in Asia-Pacific, allowing us to leverage its global attributes while partnering with local expertise to maximize growth opportunities also in new markets.”

In other Luxottica news, the company’s Luxottica Retail operation recently laid off 65 employees at its corporate headquarters in Mason, Ohio, representing approximately 4 percent of its total employment there.

A Luxottica spokesman described the laid-off employees as “support staff,” saying no high-level executives were let go.

He told VM, “In response to what has been an overall challenging economic environment, Luxottica Retail North America announced further plans to improve efficiency and effectiveness across its business. In addition to implementing further and stricter cost controls in marketing, product and other areas, Luxottica Retail conducted a comprehensive review of its North American operations. As a result, efficiencies have been gained through, among others, delaying activities, shifting resources, combining select functions, re-assigning associates to different roles and eliminating certain open positions.” ■