Net-a-Porter Group Net-a-Porter founder
Natalie Massenet is an American-born former
fashion journalist with ''
Women's Wear Daily and Tatler''. She developed the concept of a magazine in website format where users could 'click' to buy while trying to source product online for a fashion shoot. Having raised the £1.2m (approx $2m) start-up costs with the assistance of her then-husband and co-founder Mark Quinn-Newall, they launched the company from Massanet's flat in
Chelsea, London. In the early days, the operation was so low-key that the company's black delivery boxes were stacked up in the
bathtub. The Outnet, a site focusing on previous seasons' designs at discount prices, was launched in 2009; in 2011, a
menswear site, Mr Porter, was established under the stewardship of Toby Bateman who then said: "The original concept around the Mr Porter customer was that he was the man in the Net-A-Porter girl's life." Bateman left Mr Porter in 2019 and was replaced by Fiona Firth as managing director. In 2013 beauty was launched under the leadership of David Olsen. The business continues to grow and in 2013 it retailed products from more than 350 designers, attracted more than two million monthly visitors to the site and an average spend of £500 (around $850). In early 2014, Net-a-Porter launched a print magazine called
Porter, with an associated app and digital version of the magazine. Some 400,000 copies will be distributed six times a year in 60 countries. Playing off of its name, Net-a-Porter recently added a sportswear section to their website called Net-a-Sporter. The sportswear section of the website was launched in July 2014. When speaking of the addition of Net-a-Sporter to the e-tailer's online roster, the company's president
Alison Loehnis said "We spotted a gap in the market for being a one-stop shop for workout wear where fashion meets function and where performance and style are equally valued." In August 2014, Massenet revealed that she originally wanted to call the website "What's New, Pussycat?"
YOOX Group The name YOOX was created by Costas Constantinou and is composed of the male (Y) and female (X)
chromosome letters linked by OO, the
infinity symbol ∞ or "the 'zero' from the
binary code, the fundamental language of the digital age". YOOX's concept is to buy up overstocked or unsold items from previous seasons in "a direct relationship" from renowned fashion houses "including
Dolce & Gabbana,
Diesel,
Gucci,
Armani and
Cavalli" as well as "manufacturers and authorized dealers" Vintage designer clothing (
Chanel,
Dior,
Gucci etc.) is collected with the help of fashion editor
Polly Allen Mellen and sold at special occasions. Some fashion designers have created capsule collections exclusively for yoox.com, such as
Hussein Chalayan (menswear) or
Alexandre Herchcovitch. In 2006, YOOX Group launched its first online flagship store for
Marni.com. Since then, the company has worked with individuals in the fashion and luxury industry in the development of their e-tail strategies, launching websites for brands such as
Armani and
Marni. In 2007 Yoox began building its own warehouses, as previously goods had shipped directly from the design houses, rather than from Yoox itself. Yoox also began selling additional items beyond fashion, including artwork from artists like Damien Hirst, Mark Quinn and Peter Blake. In 2008, Yoox launched its full-price online
menswear retail store The Corner featuring established designer brands and a selection of niche fashion labels from Italy and elsewhere. September 2009 saw the launch of womenswear at The Corner.
Merger and Acquisition The combined revenues of the two companies prior to the merger was about $1.4 billion and their websites received a combined 24 million unique visitors annually. The deal was announced in March 2015, and went into effect in September. The combined network reached about 180 countries. The parent company of Net-A-Porter,
Richemont, received 50% of the total available shares; however, their voting rights were capped at 25%, giving Yoox the ability to run the company. Yoox founder Federico Marchetti became the group's CEO and Net-a-Porter founder Natalie Massenet left the company after the merger was completed. In August 2022, Richemont announced it would sell a 47.5% stake in YOOX Net-A-Porter (YNAP) to rival
Farfetch and a 3.2% stake to a
Mohamed Alabbar investment vehicle in exchange for about an 11% stake in Farfetch. However, in December 2023, the agreements were terminated after
Coupang announced its acquisition of Farfetch. In June 2024, YNAP announced it would exit the Chinese market. Richemont's ownership of the group concluded in April 2025, when its sold YOOX Net-a-Porter to Mytheresa. The acquisition followed the fulfillment of all conditionas, including approvals from relevant regulatory authorities, as announced in October 2024. As a result of the deal, Mytheresa's parent company was renamed LuxExperience B.V. and became the sole shareholder of the combined portfolio of brands, including Net-a-Porter, Mr Porter, Yoox, The Outnet, and Mytheresa. ==Distribution==