MILAN—Last week executives of Luxottica Group (NYSE: LUX) and both its retail and Oakley divisions cited two new retail store formats launched by the company within the last 10 months as having strong initial results so far this year, despite the lagging worldwide economic climate.

During a conference call with financial analysts in conjunction with the release of Luxottica’s second-quarter financial results, Kerry Bradley, chief operating officer of Luxottica Retail, said the company is “very pleased with what we’re doing” with the Ilori stores right now. The Ilori chain, a new luxury sunwear concept, was launched in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood last September.

Bradley said 11 Ilori locations were open as of June 30, with a total of 20 planned by year-end. (Luxottica executives said last year their goal was to open from 100 to 150 Ilori stores in the U.S. within the first three years.)

“Even in this tough [economic] scenario, Ilori is doing well above our expectations in North America,” said Andrea Guerra, Luxottica’s chief executive officer, during the conference call.

Added Bradley, “We’re getting good customer feedback on Ilori. And it’s a very different customer from Sunglass Hut—the Ilori customers want exclusives and firsts.” Bradley said the average dollar sale at the Ilori stores is currently double that of Sunglass Hut.

Luxottica’s newest retail concept, the pilot N3L store opened by Oakley in Denver this May, is also doing well, according to Oakley CEO Scott Olivet. “We’re very pleased with its results,” Olivet said of the new concept, which showcases active and performance sunwear. “Consumer feedback is what we hoped it would be, but it’s in the early stages.”

He said the company is also receiving positive reactions to the technology in the store, adding, “They’re ‘getting it.’” The N3L store features virtual try-on technology as well as opportunities for customers to test sun lenses in different lighting conditions and various sports environments.

Said Olivet during the conference call, “We plan to open two more N3L stores between now and the end of the year, and then we’ll see from there.”