French online shopping site VentePrivee is targeting annual sales of at least 500 million (£397.3 million) in the UK.

The branded goods specialist, which launches in the UK officially next month following a soft launch in June, expects the UK to mirror its success in France, where sales are expected to reach 500 million this year.

VentePrivee co-founder and chief executive Jacques-Antoine Granjon told Retail Week: “There is no reason why, if we do it right, we can’t do as much in the UK.”

In the past two years, the e-tailer has launched in Spain, Germany and Italy. Granjon said: “I hope to do at least 200 million (£158.9 million) in each country.”

The site works on a policy of “invite only”, whereby consumers can only buy on the site if invited by another member to do so. In France, it runs up to five Sales every day and hopes to build up to that number on its UK site.

VentePrivee runs Sales for brands including Replay, Calvin Klein, Quicksilver and Diesel and produces its own trailers on its site for every brand.

Since its soft launch in the summer, the UK operation has built up a base of more than 10,000 users. About 400 people are signing up each day.

Granjon said: “It is like a snowball effect – it starts slowly, slowly, but when it gets going, goes very quickly.” Testament to that is the exponential growth of the company in France. In 2004 it had four employees and a turnover of 1 million (£794,596). It now has more than 1,000 staff and sales approaching 500 million.

Although VentePrivee will continue to run operations from its base in Paris, it will open offices in each country where it has operations.

Fashion accounts for 65 per cent of VentePrivee’s sales, but it also sells wine, cars and has even sold apartments and swimming pools in the past.