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By Nitasha Tiku 10/10/11 11:01am

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Mr. Deeming, via Crunchbase

Gilt Groupe’s Obsession with All Things Vertical: ‘We Plow Through 100 Ideas a Week’

What’s life like for Rob Deeming, Kevin Ryan’s “chief of staff” at Gilt Groupe? In a word: busy. The 33-year-old’s job centers around what seems like Gilt’s primary objective these days: launching new verticals as its core discount business matures and e-commerce competitors multiply.

In an interview with Mr. Deeming, a Brit with a Harvard MBA, The Street reports that the majority of Gilt growth comes from “a dizzying array” of new full-priced verticals, such as Jetsetter, Gilt Taste, and Park & Bond, which are expected to rake in $100 million combined within the next fiscal year. Gilt City, meanwhile, will account for 10 percent of overall revenue.

Dizzying seems like the right word to describe the pace. Mr. Deeming told the Street, “Now we plow through 100 ideas a week,” Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 7/27/11 1:06pm

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hamptons

Gilt Groupe’s Strategy for Selling Coupons? A Summer House In East Hampton!

Just because Gilt Groupe decided to wade into the pedestrian business of local deals doesn’t mean it’s going down-market. Groupon can have its two-for-one bikini waxes and discount chiropractors. Gilt City will take the East Hamptons, thank you very much. Today Gilt City, which uses the company’s flash-sale model for local, luxury deals in cities like New York, L.A., and Tokyo, announced the Gilt City Hamptons House. From August 12th through Labor Day, the “exclusive summer oasis” will be offering “private” (to anyone willing to pay) events like dinner parties with celebrity chefs and film screenings.

Tickets for the 6,000-sq. ft. estate, complete with 45-foot pool, gym, and spa, are already on sale, including a pool party catered by Nobu, a fashion event with men’s designer Bonobos and yoga lessons with Russel Simmons. Read More

By Ben Popper 5/19/11 6:45am

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ruth reichl

Gilt Groupe Begins Selling Overpriced Food With Help From Ruth Reichl

Now that is has a dedicated audience of wealthy, compulsive shoppers locked in, Gilt Groupe is experimenting with high end groceries, hold the discounts please.

Gilt Taste, which just launched in Beta, is aiming to be an online zine for luxury food shoppers, featuring former Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl above the jump on the homepage. In the side bar of recipes there are also articles like What Will Fracking Do To Your Food Supply, about the effect of the controversial drilling practice on your $159.00 D’Artagnan game bird variety pack. Read More

By Ben Popper 7:21am

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clipping coupons

New York Biz Wise To Deal Site Dangers

In the booming market for daily and group deals, small business owners are finding they can play one service against another, and get burned if they’re not careful.

Avi Marko runs the Brooklyn based KidsSocks.com. His first deal, reports the WSJ, was with Mamapedia brought an big traffic boost, 600 customers, but with half the revenue going back to Mamapedia, Marko didn’t make a dime. Read More