eBay to Acquire German Online Fashion Biz

Brands4friends, Germany's largest online fashion destination, will be acquired by eBay for approximately $200 million, strengthening eBay's fashion presence in Europe. Brands4friends launched in 2007 and currently has 3.5 million members in Germany. The site has touted a variety of campaigns for more than 600 fashion brands, including Buffalo, Calvin Klein and Diesel. The deal also sees eBay acquiring Brands4friends' equity interests in SecretSales.com, a U.K. shopping club, and Brands4friends.jp in Japan. eBay reports that the online shopping clubs account for about 20 percent of online fashion sales in Europe. "We want to give our customers the best possible