NEW YORK—LensCrafters, one of the largest optical retail brands in North America, announced the opening of the company’s first flagship stores in New York City. Scheduled to open Thursday (Dec. 17) at 777 Third Avenue, and on Friday (Dec. 18) at 6 E. 23rd Street, the new Manhattan stores will position LensCrafters as “the premium optical retail leader of exclusive brands and further reinforce the company as a trusted eyecare and eyewear authority in the community,” according to an announcement.

These locations—which had been existing LensCrafters stores—will feature a new elevated store design with the latest advanced digital technology and an expanded selection of designer eyewear styles, all culminating in a best in class in-store experience from quality eye exams to shopping for the perfect frame, according to the announcement.





The company plans to roll out more flagship stores in 2021, with a San Francisco location set for a spring opening. LensCrafters is not disclosing details on its plans for opening additional flagship locations next year, a spokeswoman told VMAIL. LensCrafters is a division of Luxottica Retail. 

“We look forward to advancing the LensCrafters brand this year and next with the rollout of our first flagship stores in New York City this month,” Alfonso Cerullo, general manager of LensCrafters, North America, said in the announcement. “The expanded assortment of luxury optical and sun styles will give the brand a larger footprint in the eyewear market.”

He added, “In addition, we will have the tremendous benefit of Essilor’s superior lens design and technology available to our customers. Above all, we want to be a top destination in the community when it comes to finding the best vision care solutions to help people express themselves while seeing well at the same time.”

The new flagship locations are roughly 2,400 square feet (23rd Street) and 3,500 square feet (Third Avenue).

In the New York City area, LensCrafters plans a “geo-targeted paid social campaign” launching this week, the spokesperson said. In addition, there are out-of-home advertising campaigns planned that utilize digital taxi tops, digital bus stops and LinkNYC placements in the areas surrounding the two store locations. The out-of-home ads begin in early January.

The new stores will give customers a more individualized experience through an enhanced consumer journey that allows them to easily browse the vast luxury assortment of both optical and sun frames with increased access to information through personalized interaction with store associates. The stores will also leverage digital tools to afford customers more opportunities to meet their needs.

LensCrafters was founded in 1983 and currently operates more than 1,000 stores in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.