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HomeminewsLuxottica to Improve Transparency for Franchisees

Luxottica to Improve Transparency for Franchisees

Luxottica Franchising Australia (Luxottica), the franchisor of eyewear retailers OPSM and Laubman and Pank, has committed to be more transparent about the structure and operation of its franchise system to franchisees.

The commitment follows an ACCC investigation that found Luxottica’s marketing fund financial statement and disclosure document were unlikely to comply with the Franchising Code of Conduct.

so it’s very important franchisors are clear and transparent with franchisees about how the money is spent

Luxottica cooperated with the ACCC’s inquiries and voluntarily committed to change the documents to give franchisees a more open and transparent account of the business.

Under the Franchising Code, franchisors must prepare an annual financial statement detailing the marketing fund’s receipts and expenses, including who contributes to the fund and what the money is spent on.

Luxottica’s statement did not provide information about how much money the Luxottica associate that operated the corporate stores paid for marketing, or what marketing services were purchased using money contributed by company-owned stores.

Further, the statement did not disclose enough specifics about marketing expenses, such as brands (OPSM or Laubman and Pank) the marketing funds were being spent on, or in what geographic locations the advertising was run.

“Marketing fund contributions allow a franchisor to promote and improve their brands. The money franchisees are required to pay towards the marketing fund can be significant, so it’s very important franchisors are clear and transparent with franchisees about how the money is spent,” ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said.

The ACCC has observed that some franchisors are not providing sufficient detail in marketing fund statements. Franchisors need to ensure that franchisees are provided with ‘meaningful’ information about the marketing funds’ sources of incomes and items of expenditure.

Luxottica’s disclosure document was also unlikely to comply with the Code as it did not identify the Luxottica associate that operated the corporate stores or that this associate managed the marketing for all corporate-owned and franchised stores.

“Disclosure documents are a vital piece of information franchisors are required to provide their current and prospective franchisees to help them make informed decisions about whether they will buy into the franchise or renew their existing agreement,” said Mr. Keogh.

“It’s important this document gives an open and transparent assessment of how the franchise works. People can spend significant amounts of money buying into a franchise or renewing a contract, so it’s only fair they know the exact details of how the system works.”

“The ACCC conducts regular checks to assess franchisors’ compliance with the Code. Where appropriate, the ACCC can pursue enforcement action for failing to comply with the Code’s marketing fund requirements,” he said.

In a statement issued to media, a Luxottica spokesperson said, “Following the ACCC’s concern that Luxottica should provide more meaningful disclosure regarding monetary contributions made to marketing the optometry businesses, and marketing and administrative expenses in its marketing statement, we are happy to include some additional details in our statement going forward.

“Luxottica Franchising is committed to franchise code compliance, including its marketing disclosure obligations and co-operated with the ACCC relating to its concerns. We trust these clarifications and disclosures will make our marketing statement more meaningful for our franchisees”,

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