A little Net-A-Porter "History"

Natalie Massenet, the Founder of Net-A-Porter is featured in the current issue of Vogue U.S. The article states that she just recently sold her shares in the company to The Richemont Luxury Group, who owns Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels, Chloe and Dunhill. She received $76 million which is a hell of a return on an initial investment of $1.2 million! While many a businessman gave a gloomy prediction, Natalie managed to turn her E-commerce idea into one of the most successful businesses to date. The Net-A-Porter offices are situated in Shepard's Bush, Europe's biggest Mall. Natalie and her staff of 300, have a birds-eye-view of every purchase made, via Google Earth. Every time someone makes a purchase, a Net-A-Porter bag pops up on a screen and displays the shopper's order, including how much was spent, where the person lives and a tally of the day's takings. Now that's innovation! While many an E-commerce venture has floundered, Net-A-Porter has remained strong over the last ten years. How exciting she and her colleagues (twelve who started with her initially, are also millionaires as a result of the sale) must be to see their idea reach fruition. I can imagine that Natalie probably doesn't sleep much nights, as I'm sure her mind is constantly churning out new ideas for her more than successful venture. Wouldn't you love to be a part of something so wonderful!? I'm happy to know more about one of my favorite sites.

Tibi