Fashion ‘bible’ Vogue could soon be owned by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, sources say.
Staff are convinced the world’s fourth-richest man is preparing to buy parent company Conde Nast as a wedding gift for his bride Lauren Sanchez, a former journalist.
Many believe it’s no coincidence that the new Mrs Bezos is this month’s digital Vogue cover star and graces its pages wearing a Dolce & Gabbana wedding gown hand-picked by Dame Anna Wintour.
Last month Dame Anna announced she was stepping down as Vogue Editor-in-Chief after 37 years in the role but remains in control of global operations.
The Newhouse family, who have owned Conde Nast since 1959 and continue to hold it privately under their media empire Advance Publications, insist their titles are not on the market. And last night, a source close to Mr Bezos said it was ‘totally untrue’ that he was considering buying Conde Nast.
But with a recent swathe of global redundancies and UK staff now operating from an uninspiring WeWork space near Waterloo station – after Vogue’s Hanover Square HQ was sold – not everyone is convinced.
A source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The rumour that Jeff is going to buy Conde Nast is all anyone’s talking about in the fashion industry and inside Vogue.
‘Lauren Sanchez is such an unlikely cover star, and the word is that she landed the July issue partly because the Newhouse family want to butter up Bezos. In New York they’re slimming down the business which is exactly what companies do before a sale.’
The source added: ‘Anna is said to be the one brokering the deal so that’s why Lauren was put on the cover. Anna has equity in the business so has a lot to gain from a sale.’ Mr Bezos is no stranger to publishing.
In 2013, he bought The Washington Post for $250 million in cash, ending the Graham family’s four-generation ownership.
Another source said: ‘He’s one of the very few people with deep enough pockets. And Lauren is no airhead. She’s a sharp cookie. There have been conversations.’
Insiders say several clues point to something big in the offing. Natalia Gamero Del Castillo, MD of Vogue’s European operations, suddenly ‘disappeared’ from the office last week, prompting her colleagues to suggest she had either quit or fallen victim to the global redundancy drive.
The source added: ‘There have been redundancies almost every week in Europe and New York. The UK has had a whole round too.
‘What they’re doing is aligning every publication globally so the structure is uniform across all titles.
‘Anna was the anomaly, she was the only Editor-in-Chief left. GQ has a Global Editorial Director, Glamour has one, Vanity Fair too. So she had to give up the title.
‘I don’t think she was thrilled but she accepted it, probably because she knows the company is getting ready to sell. She still has huge influence but she’s no longer Editor-in-Chief. That title is gone.’
‘They’re streamlining everything. Either we’re about to go under or we’re being sold. But something is up and everyone’s talking about Bezos.’
Dame Anna, 75, who relinquished her role on June 27, famously inspired the writers of the film The Devil Wears Prada.
