CHINA’S Meilishuo.com, a fashion retailer backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd., and rival Mogujie.com are discussing ways to cooperate that could include a merger, according to sources familiar with the matter.

    Discussions about potential cooperation are in an initial stages, with the e-commerce operators yet to agree on issues including roles for the founders, the sources said.

    China’s e-commerce business, which is projected to expand to 3.6 trillion yuan (US$557 billion) next year, is going through a shakeout as smaller operators combine to gain scale and end costly battles for market share.

    Deals this year include mergers between ride-hailing companies Didi Taxi and Kuaidi Taxi, group buying sites Meituan.com and Dianping.com, and travel operators Ctrip.com International Ltd. and Qunar.com Inc.

    Meilishuo has been seeking to raise about US$300 million since April and has yet to close the funding round, according to one of the sources. The company, whose name translates as “Beauty Talk,” was considering a U.S. initial public offering at a US$2.5 billion valuation, people familiar with the matter said earlier this year.

    Founded in 2009 by Xu Yirong, Meilishuo runs an online marketplace selling clothes, shoes and handbags, targeting young women. It has about 15,000 merchants selling on its website and runs a mobile application that has been downloaded 100 million times, according to a firm brochure distributed in April.

    Mogujie, founded in 2011 and backed by IDG and Qiming Venture Partners, has 130 million registered users and raised a D round of US$200 million in November. (SD-Agencies)