Tiffany to Begin Selling on Net-a-Porter

New York--Later this month, iconic New York retailer Tiffany & Co. will loosen the reins on its tightly controlled distribution network when it begins selling a selection of T collection jewelry on e-commerce site Net-a-Porter. 

The collaboration makes Net-a-Porter the only online destination beyond Tiffany’s authorized channels where consumers will be able to buy the brand’s jewelry. It’s a significant score for an e-commerce site that thrives on exclusive partnerships with well-known brands.

For Tiffany, the deal gives it much more exposure online--the company currently sells online in 13 countries while Net-a-Porter reaches 170.

It also affords the 179-year-old retailer a change to reach a new, more fashion-driven and younger audience.

“Brand collaborations with innovative businesses like Net-a-Porter help ensure that Tiffany’s timeless designs reach a new generation of customers, wherever they are,” Philippe Galtie, senior vice president of international sales at Tiffany & Co., said in a joint statement announcing the collaboration.

Tiffany is scheduled to begin its partnership with Net-a-Porter, described in the release as a “limited time” engagement, on April 27. The ecommerce site will sell a selection of “Tiffany T” collection jewelry.

The New York jeweler’s partnership with Net-a-Porter is its second retail distribution “first” in recent months.

Back in October, Tiffany teamed up with Dover Street Market on “Out of Retirement,” a capsule collection inspired by its Blue Book designs from the 1970s. It marked the first time in company history that Tiffany collaborated with another retailer on a capsule collection.

Out of Retirement was sold in the Dover Street Market stores in New York, London and Tokyo.

Net-a-Porter once was wholly owned by Richemont, the luxury conglomerate that owns Tiffany competitors Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels.

In March 2015, Richemont merged the e-tailer with Yoox, which is owned by Milan-based mail-order retailer Yoox Group, though it still retains a stake in the combined entity.