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Exclusive - Yoox and Net-a-porter in merger talks again: sources

PARIS (Reuters) - Online fashion retailers Yoox and Richemont's Net-a-Porter are trying to resuscitate merger talks that took place more than a year ago to better fight cut-throat competition, industry sources told Reuters.

UK-based Net-a-Porter which is estimated to be worth between 1.3 and 1.5 billion euros (1.1 billion pounds), is one of Richemont's fastest growing companies but it has yet to make a profit because of the significant investments it made in the company.

Italy's Yoox, which is also enjoying double-digit growth, is profitable and carries a relatively similar valuation to Net-a-porter with a market capitalisation of 1.32 billion euros.

"It might work this time because Net-a-Porter is in better shape today than it was a year and a half ago and therefore it is more amenable to do deal today than back then," one of the sources said. Richemont and Yoox declined to comment.

(Reporting by Astrid Wendlandt, editing by Geert De Clercq)