Net-a-porter, the world’s largest online luxury fashion retailer based in London, is all set for its foray into China after it acquired the Chinese e-commerce platform Shouke.

Net-a-porter will launch a multiphase web site next month to be headquartered in China with a distribution centre to be located in Hong Kong.

“Asia-Pacific is a core market for the Net-a-porter Group. We have been retailing to local customers in the region, and have built a strong base since our launch in 2000,” said Mark Sebba, Net-a-porter’s CEO.

“Like many businesses in the luxury sector, we have seen huge growth in recent years. This is the first step in the next chapter in the growth of the Net-a-porter Group.”

The Shouke Limited, co-founded by Adrienne Ma, will still actively participate in the business as its three founders will be a part of the board of Net-a-porter Asia-Pacific division: Paul Teague as president for Asia-Pacific, Adrienne Ma as senior VP for content, marketing and merchandising and Richard Chen as president of the China operation.

“The Shouke teams in Shanghai and Hong Kong are delighted to be joining the team at the Net-a-porter Group. We have a wealth of experience in the Asian market, where there is enormous demand for access to designer collections,” said Teague.

Initial operation will see the launch of The Outnet, Net-a-porter’s division which features previous season’s designer clothes and accessories. Meanwhile, Shouke.com will be relaunched under new name Theoutnet.cn.

GB