Richemont, owner of Cartier, resumed Net-a-Porter.com
The Swiss owner of the venerable jewelry brands Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels and Jaeger LeCoultre Watchmaking, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin, starts strong in electronic commerce. Richemont has launched an offer to acquire 100% of the commercial site with Anglo-Saxon Net-a-porter.com. He already owns one third of its capital. The deal values the start-up to 394 million euros.
Net-a-porter is one of the best success stories of fashion on the Internet. Founded in 2000 in London by Natalie Massenet, an Englishwoman raised in France, former fashion journalist in American magazines, it distributes worldwide about 300 items from great brands rather pointed, like Jimmy Choo, Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen . The offer is presented in magazine format. The company based in London and New York last year realized a turnover of approximately 134 million euros.The founder sells 18% of the affair it still held, for an estimated 70 million euros. She will remain in place, deeply involved in its development.
"Given the amount, it is clearly a strategic investment, says it does among the Richemont instant payday loan. Net-a-porter will, like all our houses, totally independent. This will not become a channel for the group and we are pleased that the site continues to work with external marks. "So far, the Swiss has a modest presence on the site, including via its label Chloe.
Richemont nevertheless demonstrates a firm belief in the future of e-commerce for luxury. "These are consumers who will decide," Does it tempers in Geneva. So far the industry has been very careful – if reluctantly – to invest the net.The adventure of LVMH in the early 2000s in its U.S. e-luxury.com was cut short. According to a recent study by Precepta, web weighs only 3% of worldwide turnover of luxury. That figure could reach 4.7% in 2011, representing a market of 7 billion euros. The brands like Boucheron (a subsidiary of PPR), Cartier, recently the United States, Ralph Lauren and Gucci come gradually. Yoox.com The Italian, who has just come into stock, has developed a multi-brand and manages many e-shops for claws.