The Boston-based company that runs Rue La La, a popular but exclusive online discount boutique that shoppers must be invited to peruse, yesterday was acquired by GSI Commerce Inc., a Pennsylvania e-commerce and interactive marketing services firm. The $350 million deal for Retail Convergence Inc. also included SmartBargains.com, an off-price e-commerce marketplace.
“We believe the opportunity to put these two companies together just further enables us to create a dominant presence in the private sales space,’’ said Retail Convergence chief executive Ben Fischman, who will continue to run Rue La La and SmartBargains.com for GSI Commerce.
Fischman said the partnership means the company will need to add about 30 to 40 people to its staff of nearly 200 in the next few months.
Rue La La has made a splash since it launched in 2008. Its membership has grown to more than 1.2 million, as shoppers bargain hunt among more than 300 luxury brands offered online. The company estimates Rue La La will have $28 million in revenue in the third quarter of this year.
GSI Commerce chief executive Michael G. Rubin, in a statement about the purchase, said his company was “excited to enter the private sale market’’ with an industry leader like Rue La La.
