EXPANSION PLANS FOR IPHONE AND MIU MIU

One of the latest ways online and traditional retail outlets are generating extra revenue is by launching iPhone apps. Net-a-Porter is one of the latest to get into the game with the Net-App. It’s a unique global fashion application for iPhones and iPod touches that allows users to shop and complete transactions on the go. The application also lets users check the latest fashion news, read Net-a-Porter’s monthly online magazine, email products to friends, add items to a wish list, and allows them to browse and shop the newest arrivals on the Net-a-Porter site. The app is updated with new product and content every Monday and Wednesday.

In more traditional expansion news, Miu Miu has just opened two new boutiques – one in China and one in Turkey. The 3,500 square foot China boutique is a single level shop located at The MIXC Mall in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, while the new 3,100 Miu Miu shop in Turkey is a bi-level destination located at the Istinye Park shopping mall in Istanbul. Both boutiques stock  women’s ready-to-wear and accessories, and were designed by Italian architect Roberto Baciocchi.  

The openings represent an effort on the part of Miu Miu’s parent company, Prada SpA, to open more stand-alone stores. A spokesperson told WWD that Prada SpA is looking to generate more than 70 percent of consolidated turnover from directly operated stores by 2011, from around 53 percent currently.