From "outlet" to "outnet"

Fashionista - in "Recessionista" mode - is excited by the news that NET-A-PORTER will launch "theOutnet.com" website next month: an online outlet of over 200 luxury brands sold at discounted prices. Fashionista is all too aware of the plight of many high street shops struggling to meet rent payments. Tenants are seeking to negotiate with landlords for rent to be reduced where rent at the normal rate may otherwise force shops to close. Whilst loss of income is an unattractive prospect for anyone, landlords may be convinced to reduce rents rather than risk having empty properties.

Many luxury brands already have physical outlet premises (whether independent factory stores or as part of "outlet villages"). However, the new virtual platform proposed by NET-A-PORTER paves a way for clearing old season or surplus stock at minimal cost. It also allows for those brands which do not have a physical outlet to sell surplus stock.

Fashionista thinks this is a great idea - and a "win-win" for brand owners and consumers alike. For the brand owners, the storage costs for the goods will be minimal and the target consumer group will be considerably wider, so there is a potential for stock turnaround to be much faster. For consumers, a discounted price tag in the modern economic climate is an undoubted lure for many, and the comparative ease of online shopping is undeniable in today's fast paced lifestyle where outlet premises are not always on one's doorstep. Sign-up today by clicking here!