Safilo Relocates Its North American Headquarters To 300 Lighting Way In Secaucus, NJ

PADUA, Italy and SECAUCUS, N.J., July 10, 2017

The new headquarters, which officially opens today, is located approximately five miles from New York City and occupies the second and fourth floors of a 10-story building. Designed as an open space work environment, the two floors span a total of 55,000 square feet and house a fully stocked customer showroom, call center, numerous product workrooms and conference rooms, a large meeting space to house town hall sessions and other events as well as an employee cafeteria and pantry. The offices were designed by Studio 1200, a multi-disciplinary US design and architecture Collective, directed by Safilo Group's own Interior Design department.  

This move is part of the simplification and modernization of Safilo's North American operations. In October 2015, the distribution and logistics functions were merged into Safilo's Denver Distribution Center in Colorado while its other DC – which had previously been co-located within the Parsippany HQ – was closed and its returns and reprocessing functions were migrated to Denver in June 2016.

"The reinvention of our North American headquarters is of strategic importance for Safilo Group as we invest in product, customer partnerships, management skills and operational efficiency in North America. We need an attractive HQ located to build synergies with our Fifth Avenue Showroom and its Global Design Studio, as well as with our New York based licensing partners and North America's leading eyewear retailers. Here is where globally trend-setting design and innovation offer important inspiration for our Group worldwide," says Luisa Delgado, CEO of Safilo Group. "We want a modern HQ work environment that is open to engage with our customers effectively, is designed to drive collaboration across functions, and is attractive also to millennial talent. Thus, our new HQ visually reflects Safilo's 2020 strategic aspiration which is to play our unique product centric role as industry leader, leveraging on the combination of unparalleled historical strength and modernization with confidence forward." 

North America is a market of globally symbolic and historically strong leadership for Safilo Group. While tracing its craftsmanship roots back to 1878, its current company name dates back to 1934 with Guglielmo Tabacchi's purchase of the first Italian manufacturing site in Calalzo di Cadore. Guglielmo Tabacchi was born in the USA, in 1900 in Solvay, New York. He returned to Italy with his family as a youngster, and was a pioneer of both industrialization and globalization of the Group, starting with North America when, in 1962, Safilo USA first took root in New York City at 1133 Broadway as Starline Optical Corp., the first eyeglass wholesaler to sell directly to eyewear professionals while, at the same time, transforming eyeglasses from a medical device to a fashion accessory. Starline moved its offices from New York to Fairfield, NJ in 1977, opening a joint venture factory with Safilo Group to manufacture Safilo Elasta acetate optical frames.  In 1988, Safilo Group acquired the remaining shares of Starline Optical Corp., ensuring total control of one of the most important American commercial companies in the eyewear sector, changing its name to Safilo USA in 1990. In 1997, Safilo moved to the Parsippany location. 

With its move to Secaucus, Safilo initiates a further phase and looks forward to writing the next chapters of its North American history, with continued roots of innovation and customer partnership. An official inauguration of the North American headquarters in Secaucus is scheduled to take place with its Board of Directors and employees in mid-October for Safilo customers and media.