Crain's : Gilt Groupe Inc. buys Bergine.com, a San Francisco-based seller of discounted deals

After three years in business, flash-sale specialist Gilt Groupe Inc., which made online shopping for discount luxury apparel commonplace, has announced its first acquisition.

Gilt City, the company's service and experience arm, is buying Bergine.com, a 7-month-old, San Francisco-based seller of discounted deals. The move is expected to give Manhattan-based Gilt a stronger foothold on the West Coast, since Bergine already boasts deals with several California restaurants, spas and entertainment providers.

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TechCrunch : Gilt Goes Local to Take on Groupon

Gilt Groupe provides access, by invitation only, to Men’s, Women’s and Children’s coveted fashion and luxury brands at prices up to 70% off retail. Each sale lasts 36 hours and features hand selected styles from a single designer.Gilt is officially throwing its designer hat into the daily deal ring.  According to a June 1 TechCrunch article:

Gilt is closing in on Groupon’s turf. In April, Gilt quietly launched a beta version of “Gilt City,” a local deals service that offered a set of weekly deals for New York. Although City remains in beta mode and is only available to approximately one-third of Gilt’s NY membership, the well-funded company is preparing for an official launch in 15 to 20 U.S. markets.

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