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Key people at Amazon BuyVIP.
Amazon BuyVIP was founded in 2006 by 'Franco Gianera' (Co-Founder and Managing Director Italy).
Amazon BuyVIP was a Madrid, Spain-based members-only e-commerce club that offered flash sales on premium fashion and lifestyle brands. Prior to its acquisition, the platform scaled to reach approximately six million registered members across seven European countries and generated €70 million in turnover during 2009. The company provided limited-time discounts on excess inventory from major designers like Gucci, Calvin Klein, and Diesel, supported by venture capital from Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments and 3i Group. After raising a $20 million Series C round in April 2009, the business was acquired by Amazon in October 2010 for an estimated €70 million to expand its European apparel footprint. The platform operated as an independent subsidiary until Amazon officially shut it down in May 2017. The enterprise was founded in 2006 by Gustavo García Brusilovsky and Gerald Heydenreich.
Amazon BuyVIP was a Madrid-based, members-only e-commerce platform offering flash sales with discounts up to 70% on luxury fashion and lifestyle brands like Gucci, Calvin Klein, and Diesel.[1][2] It targeted European consumers seeking high-end deals, operating as a private club in countries including Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Poland, amassing over six million members before its 2017 shutdown by Amazon.[1][2][3] Acquired by Amazon in 2010, it aimed to solve access to premium goods at reduced prices but struggled with profitability in the fading flash sales model, leading to its closure and redirection to Amazon.com.[1][6]
Founded in 2006 in Madrid, Spain, BuyVIP emerged as a startup in the burgeoning flash sales sector, quickly gaining traction with significant discounts on designer items.[1][2][3] It raised €14.9 million in funding by 2009 and expanded to seven European countries, building a membership base exceeding six million.[1][3] In 2010, Amazon acquired it—rumored at around €70 million—for an undisclosed sum, viewing it as a complement to its European retail operations; the deal closed that year, integrating BuyVIP's team and model under Amazon.[1][2][3][4] CEO Gustavo Garcia Brusilovsky noted the acquisition would broaden product selection.[2]
BuyVIP rode the early 2010s flash sales trend, popularized by sites like Gilt Groupe, capitalizing on consumer demand for luxury at bargain prices amid economic recovery post-2008.[1] Its timing aligned with e-commerce expansion in Europe, where Amazon sought to deepen high-end fashion penetration—marking Amazon's entry into designer retail.[2][4] Market forces like rising online shopping and brand partnerships favored it initially, but the model's unsustainability (deep discounts eroding margins) led to its demise alongside peers like Amazon's MyHabit, signaling a shift to sustainable pricing in luxury e-commerce.[1] It influenced Amazon's European strategy by absorbing talent and redirecting users, accelerating Amazon's dominance in cross-border retail.[1][6]
BuyVIP's story underscores the risks of fad-driven models in e-commerce, closing in 2017 after failed profitability despite Amazon's efforts.[1][6] With operations fully absorbed—employees transitioned to Amazon and sites redirecting—there's no active future for BuyVIP as a standalone entity.[1] Emerging trends like AI-driven personalization and sustainable luxury may shape successors, but BuyVIP's legacy lies in proving flash sales' short shelf life, reinforcing Amazon's pivot to broader, profitable marketplaces. This chapter highlights how even giants refine strategies through acquisition and sunset.
Amazon BuyVIP was founded in 2006 by 'Franco Gianera' (Co-Founder and Managing Director Italy).
Key people at Amazon BuyVIP.
