By Gianluca Lo Nostro (Reuters) -Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica posted record third-quarter sales on Thursday and said it would accelerate production capacity for its booming smart glasses business. The eyewear giant, which is riding a wave of consumer appetite for AI-powered wearables, said revenue in the quarter through September rose 11.7% year-on-year to 6.9 billion euros ($8.1 billion), the company's best quarterly performance ever. The result exceeded the 6.7 billion euro average forecast in an LSEG poll. Quarterly sales in North America, the eyewear giant's largest market, were also up 12.1% from last year. PRICES RAISED IN RESPONSE TO TARIFFS EssilorLuxottica has raised U.S. prices in response to tariffs and expects the benefits of these increases, which will mean U.S. consumers paying more for premium eyewear brands, in the second half of the year. However, finance chief Stefano Grassi said in a call with analysts on Thursday that the impact of price increases has not been the "primary driver" of overall growth in North America. Grassi also said the company would bring forward plans to build 10 million units of annual production capacity for wearables ahead of its original timeline to meet a stronger than expected demand. "We are in a position to anticipate that build-up capacity before what we shared at the beginning, so it will come earlier than the end of 2026," the CFO said. RAY-BAN META GLASSES DRIVING GROWTH Despite early skepticism, the smart glasses produced alongside Meta Platforms have been a commercial success in recent years as artificial intelligence features were ramped up later. The revamped second-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, featuring battery and camera improvements, launched in September at $379, up from $299 for the previous generation. A new $799 flagship model expands AI features with a built-in display and a wristband that translates hand gestures into commands such as responding to texts and calls. The glasses are currently available in a limited number of physical stores. Rollout to Canada, France, Italy and Britain is planned in early 2026. ($1 = 0.8572 euros) (Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro; Editing by Matt Scuffham)
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