Natalie Massenet and Farfetch to join forces? UK newspaper cites “sources”

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Dec 19, 2016

Natalie Massenet could land a role at online luxury shopping marketplace Farfetch as the company prepares for a potential £1bn stock market listing, a UK press report suggested.

Massenet, the founder of Net-A-Porter, could take on a consultancy role or a non-executive position at the company that could launch an IPO as early as 2017, the Daily Mail said at the weekend, citing unnamed sources.

She is currently running her own advisory firm, Imaginary Ventures, following the end of her year-long non-compete period after leaving Yoox-Net-A-Porter in 2015.

Massenet is chairman of the British fashion Council and virtually invented luxury online retail when she launched Net-A-Porter in 2000. She left the combined Yoox-Net-A-Porter group in a shock move after the merger.

Neither Farfetch, which has its HQ in London, nor Massenet have commented on speculation surrounding an IPO nor any likely role she could take at the company.

Like Massenet, Farfetch itself is an online pioneer. Founder Jose Neves launched it only eight years ago as a marketplace that gives luxury physical boutiques access to a global online market. It earns a commission on each sale it generates with the boutiques signed up to the platform on average making around 30% of their total sales via Farfetch.