EssilorLuxottica heir reportedly seeking larger stake in family holding company

Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, an heir to Ray-Ban parent company EssilorLuxottica, is believed to be seeking expanded influence over the eyewear conglomerate's holding company as the future of the empire's ownership structure comes into question.

According to Reuters, the 31-year-old executive, who serves as chief strategy officer at EssilorLuxottica and chairman of Ray-Ban, is reportedly exploring financing worth around 10 billion euros to acquire the stakes of two siblings in Delfin, the Luxembourg-based holding company that owns 32.4 percent of EssilorLuxottica.

If completed, the transaction would increase Del Vecchio's holding in Delfin from 12.5 percent to 37.5 percent, making him the company's largest shareholder.

The move follows the death of EssilorLuxottica founder Leonardo Del Vecchio in 2022, when ownership of the family holding company was divided equally among eight heirs. Since then, differing views among shareholders have reportedly complicated decision-making within the group.

Despite potentially gaining a significantly larger stake, Del Vecchio would not gain full control of Delfin, as major strategic decisions require enhanced shareholder majorities under governance rules established by the founder.

The news comes after EssilorLuxottica reported a weakening profit in fiscal 2025, despite an improvement to global revenues. For the year, group net profit dropped 1.9 percent to 2.32 billion euros, while operating profit fell 2 percent year-over-year.

Annual revenue for the period rose 7.5 percent to 28.49 billion euros, with double digit growth seen across North America, EMEA and Asia-Pacific.

The group is currently initiating a medtech strategy that sees it pivot from traditional eyewear towards a holsitic healthcare ecosystem, driven by the vertical integration of medical research and advanced devices to create therapeutic treatments and connected wearables.