Feb 1 - Italy's No.2 eyewear maker Safilo said on Wednesday it would not renew a licence agreement with Balenciaga once the accord expires at the end of this year.

Balenciaga F/W 2012-13 collection

Safilo said in a statement its sales of Balenciaga-branded eyewear totalled around 3 million euros last year.

Smaller Italian peer Marcolin said on Wednesday it had reached a preliminary agreement to produce Balenciaga eyewear for five years starting from 2013.

Balenciaga is owned by French luxury group PPR.

(Reporting by Antonella Ciancio)