Kering to end Yoox Net-a-Porter joint venture to set up own online sales sites for brands
The France-based luxury group will set up shopping sites by 2020 for brands including Alexander McQueen and Bottega Veneta as part of ‘natural evolution’
France-based luxury group Kering plans to end a joint venture with Yoox Net-a-Porter to set up its own online shopping sites by 2020 for brands including Alexander McQueen and Bottega Veneta.
Kering are following a recent trend by high-end fashion and jewellery labels, which are now rapidly building up their own technology teams having initially been wary of shifting sales online due to fears of diluting their brand’s image.
Kering’s joint venture with Yoox Net-a-Porter (YNAP) dates back to 2013, with the move depriving the online retailer one of its most high profile and largest clients.
The French company did not disclose how much it would spend on developing its own online sites.
Kering brands, though, will still sell clothing and other items through platforms like Net-a-Porter.
YNAP had set up and managed e-commerce operations for seven Kering brands, including Alexander McQueen and Bottega Veneta, with the notable exception of Gucci which the French luxury group set up itself.
Kering’s decision to take more online activities in-house shows how industry players are deciding to build their own digital operations, giving them full access to information such as client data.
Rival LVMH, owner of Louis Vuitton, last year launched its own multi-brand website known as 24 Sevres and has developed websites for its labels in-house.