The company plans to raise the prices of select watches to offset the impact of tariffs.
Net-a-Porter merges with Italian e-tailer
Richemont announced Tuesday that it will merge its online-only luxury marketplace Net-a-Porter, which sells fine jewelry along with clothes and accessories, with Yoox.
London--Richemont announced Tuesday that it will merge its online-only luxury marketplace Net-a-Porter, which sells fine jewelry along with clothes and accessories, with Yoox, in an all-share transaction that will afford Richemont a 50 percent stake in the combined entity.
Yoox, owned by the Milan-based mail-order retailer Yoox Group, is a similar business to Net-a-Porter; it is an online retailer of high-end, brand-name fashion goods.
Richemont Chairman Johann Rupert said while the company is proud of Net-a-Porter’s achievements, merging it with another leader in online luxury sales was necessary.
“Established business models are being increasingly disrupted by the technological giants,” he said, perhaps referring to Amazon.com, which is trying to gain a foothold in the luxury market and once was rumored to be interested in buying Net-a-Porter. “It is with this in mind that we believe it is important to increase leadership and size to protect the uniqueness of the luxury industry.”
While Richemont, a Geneva-based luxury goods conglomerate that also owns Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier and a number of high-end watch brands, will receive 50 percent of the share capital, the company’s voting rights will be limited to 25 percent to preserve the independence of Yoox Net-a-Porter Group, the proposed name of the combined entity.
It will continue to be incorporated in Italy, and listed on the Borsa Italiana, the country’s main stock exchange.
The merger is conditional upon the approval of Yoox shareholders, at a meeting expected to be held this June.
Richemont said upon completion, it will appoint two representatives to the company’s board of directors, which will have a minimum of 12 members.
The Latest

Between tariffs and the sky-high cost of gold, designers enter this year’s Las Vegas shows with a lot of questions and few answers.

Designed by founder Renato and his daughter Serena Cipullo, it showcases a flame motif representing unity and the power of gathering.

More shoppers are walking out without buying. Here’s how smart jewelers can bring them back—and the tool they need to do it right.

However, the tariffs remain in effect in the short term, as an appeals court has stayed the U.S. Court of International Trade’s decision.


The pop icon is one step closer to launching her “B Tiny” jewelry collection, a collection she first began posting about last fall.

Sponsored by Stuller

Gain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.

It was featured in the miner’s latest sale, which brought in $24.8 million.

The 3,300-square foot location is the jeweler's largest store in North America.

Aging and with myriad health issues, none will serve time for their roles in robbing the billionaire celebrity at gunpoint in 2016.

The WNBA team received rings imbued with meaning, from leaf motifs and its Liberty torch to the number of diamonds used.

A longtime executive at RDI Diamonds, Rickard has served on the JBT board for the past five years.

The two organizations have signed an affiliation agreement that’s expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.

The platinum and diamond watch is part of Sotheby’s upcoming Important Watches sale.

Recovered in Mozambique, “The Kat Florence Lumina” was part of Bonhams’ Hong Kong jewelry auction held last week.

Get a taste of the delicious candy-like gemstones in this Amanda’s Style File.

JSA’s Scott Guginsky provided a list of nine security measures jewelers should observe while locking up for the long weekend.

From Lau’s “Love of a Kind” series, the engagement ring was inspired by the moon and holds a different meaning depending on how it is worn.

The lab has adjusted the scale it uses for nacre grading.

Sponsored by GCAL by Sarine

David Walton will serve three years’ probation after an incident in a hotel bar led to the death of West Virginia jeweler David Ettinger.

The retailer also provided an update on how the tariffs situation in the U.S. is affecting its business.

The family-owned jeweler in Great Falls, Virginia, will be celebrating its golden jubilee with a year’s worth of events.

The nonprofit elected five judges who will decide the winners of its design competition.

This year’s edition includes articles on the favorite tools of notable designers, evaluating when to outsource production, and more.

The jeweler’s high jewelry collection features extraordinary gemstones, like a 241.06-carat emerald and the world’s fourth-largest spinel.