Online store merger prods luxury goods makers towards Internet

GO ONLINE OR GO BUST: Top brands such as Prada still baulk at the idea of selling clothing online as well as through their plush boutiques, but brands whose goods are not available online risk losing customers to rivals.

PARIS: The merger of the world's two biggest online fashion stores, Net-a-Porter (NAP) and Yoox, sends a warning to luxury brands to embrace the Internet with more vim after years of resistance. 

Top brands such as Prada and LVMH's Christian Dior still baulk at the idea of selling clothing online as well as through their plush boutiques.