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LONDON, United Kingdom — Amazon.com is in talks to buy online luxury retailer Net-a-porter in what could be the biggest acquisition yet for the e-commerce giant, but the negotiations are in early stages and could fall apart, Forbes reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.
The potential deal, first reported by Women's Wear Daily, could value Net-a-Porter lower than the valuation of 2 billion euros reported by the fashion industry trade journal.
Seattle-based Amazon has long eyed the high-end fashion retail sector and any deal for Net-a-Porter would mean a new commitment in an area where the company lacks a strong presence, Forbes said.
"It's Day 1 in the category," Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos told the New York Times in an interview in 2012, saying the company was making a "significant" investment in fashion to convince top brands that it wanted to work with them, not against them.
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Media reports in 2014 said Amazon was in talks to buy Indian fashion retailer Jabong.com for $1.2 billion.
Net-a-Porter is owned by luxury goods group Richemont, which bought the London-based company for 392 million euros in 2010.
Amazon.com, Net-a-Porter and Richemont could not be immediately reached for comment outside regular business hours.
By Ankush Sharma; editor: Anupama Dwivedi.
