Yoox Net-A-Porter Group opens new tech hub in London

01 Jul '17

3 min read

Courtesy: Ynap

Yoox Net-A-Porter Group has announced opening of a new tech hub in White City, reaffirming its commitment to London and investment in the UK. The new tech hub in west London is key to YNAP’s growth strategy and part of an investment of more than €500 million in technology and logistics across the group to double the size of the business by 2020.

The 70,000-square foot space at White City Place will bring together YNAP’s UK tech teams under one roof. There will be 500 staff based at the tech hub, with a further 100 jobs created over the next two years. YNAP also has a 500-strong technology team in Bologna, Italy, that collaborates closely with London.

The tech hub has been built to accelerate innovation and deliver best-in-class technologies, further strengthening the group’s partnerships with many of the world’s leading luxury fashion brands and providing an unparalleled customer experience. Work at the tech hub will include developing artificial intelligence capabilities, such as personalisation and image recognition, and creating the next wave of mobile technologies, that will keep YNAP in the vanguard of digital innovation.

Award-winning British architects, Grimshaw, have created a future-focused environment which also reflects YNAP’s unique position at the intersection of fashion and technology. The tech hub is designed to inspire creative ways of working, as the group seeks to attract top digital talent. It will facilitate a mobile working culture, while simultaneously supporting seamless collaboration with the group’s other global offices.

As part of its plan to invest in education, share knowledge and support the local community, YNAP has partnered with London’s world-renowned Imperial College, whose White City campus is under construction, to launch an initiative to teach local children from underprivileged backgrounds aged eight-14 the basics of coding.

The project, named Imperial Codelab Powered by Yoox Net-A-Porter Group, aims to increase the number of children, especially young girls, who have access to coding classes and promote the importance of digital skills. YNAP will also play a key part in the White City regeneration project, which is transforming W12 into one of London’s most exciting live-work-play super-hubs for technology, creativity and innovation.

“We are delighted to open our cutting-edge tech hub in West London, a space created to inspire and facilitate disruptive innovation. Artificial intelligence and new mobile enhancements to the customer experience will be the focus. Tech hub will be home to our 500-strong UK tech team and gives us plenty of room to add new jobs,” commented Federico Marchetti, chief executive officer at Yoox Net-A-Porter Group.

“London is Europe’s leading centre for technology and one of the world’s fashion capitals. I am therefore delighted that Yoox Net-A-Porter Group will be fusing our huge strengths in these sectors to create a new tech hub in a part of the capital that is undergoing an exciting transformation,” Rajesh Agrawal, deputy Mayor for business, London

“Yoox Net-A-Porter Group’s new tech hub reflects the creative partnership we have with a client who, like us, strives for quality design from the largest impression down to the smallest detail. Grimshaw’s design ethos of flexibility and adaptability has translated into the interior design for a workplace that has technology and collaboration at its core,” commented Nicholas Grimshaw, chairman and founder of Grimshaw. (SV)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India

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