Vente-privee.com

vente-privee.com is the French ecommerce company that pioneered the model of online flash sales (also called event sales). The site, that celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2011, was developed in an online environment to host sales of designer brands only for members with discounted prices from 50% to 70% off. These sales include a diverse selection of product categories: fashion, accessories, toys, watches, home appliances, sports equipment, technology and wines. The site has diversified its offer and now even travels, entertainment tickets and music are in sale. For example, the last album of the punk legend Iggy Pop, "Après", was launched by the site.

vente-privee.com was founded in 2001 by the current CEO, Jacques-Antoine Granjon, and his seven business partners. At the end of 2000 Granjon and his associates began to conceptualise the sale of end-of-season and overstock inventory through limited-time sales events on the internet. The principle was to fulfil supplier’s needs to quickly sell excess inventory, without harming the brand’s image or competing with other distribution channels. On 26 July 2007, Summit Partners acquired a 20% stake in vente-privee.com. The funding helped the company expand in Europe: first in Spain and Germany, then in Italy and UK, and more recently in Belgium, Austria and The Netherlands. In late 2011, vente-privee, in a join venture with American Express, launched the site in the US. However, it was announced in October 2014 that the US branch would be closed by the end of the year.

vente-privee.com employs around 1,800 people (2012).

Most of them are based in the headquarters, located in the former printing factory of the French daily newspaper Le Monde, in La Plaine Saint Denis (Paris):

The remaining employees work in the 160,000 sqm warehouses in Blanc-Mesnil (Paris) and St. Vulbas (near Lyon).

The vente-privee.com concept is the organisation of designer brand sales events over a limited period of time (3–5 days), available only to members, for brands' end-of-season or overstock inventory. Until 2009 one had to be recommended by a member to become a member. Since early 2010, registration to vente-privee.com is open to anyone, probably according to its move to sell its 1 million optin emails database. Thanks to word of mouth, the site announced 18 million members in 8 European countries in early 2013.