Zalando will launch a pilot project next November to sell sporting goods online in partnership with a sporting goods retailer in Germany. Philip Metzler and Christian Zingel, who are taking care of Zalando's partnership program for the moment, indicate that the retailer does not wish to be named during the test phase. Established in Berlin in 2008, Zalando has quickly grown into the biggest German online retailer for shoes and apparel, and it has since diversified into other product categories and moved into Austria, France and the Netherlands. Most recently, Zalando has invited established brick-and-mortar retailers and brands to use its own platform to sell their products online. The company sells over 1,000 diverse brands and more than 40,000 different products. Apart from the logistics, Zalando will be handling services such as confirmation of orders and shipment, invoicing, processing of payments, returns and reimbursements, and customer service. Zalando says the idea is to offer its clients a broader product range and better availability of items with the help of this new partnership program.

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