39 Rob Feldmann

Private Sales site BrandAlley, which offers heavy discounts on hot brands in flash Sales lasting one or two days, has clearly captured the zeitgeist. It has had a phenomenal year with UK sales more than doubling to £18.1m and, in terms of unique visitors, was the fastest growing retail website for the 12 months to July, according to analytics firm Compete.

Former News International executive Rob Feldmann, who was the driving force behind the publishing house’s acquisition of a 50% stake in BrandAlley in 2008, is aiming to double sales in its current year, when the site should move into profit.

Under Feldmann, BrandAlley has pushed innovation this year. It has launched viral ads, its own web TV channel and has even used crowd surfing to allow shoppers to decide which products it will sell.

Further innovation is planned with the etailer breaking away from its private Sales roots by launching an online catalogue this autumn. The catalogue aims to provide a continuous sales avenue for BrandAlley and will focus on discounted staple items such as denim, lingerie, homewares and beauty.

The etailer is also planning to hit the acquisition trail and is seeking a f100m (£87m) investment to help it buy fledging businesses in the fast-growing private Sales market.