AUSTRALIA-BASED SHOPIFY COMPETITOR SELZ ACQUIRED BY AMAZON

Amazon.com Inc. has acquired Selz, a Sydney-based platform that helps small businesses create their own websites much the way Shopify Inc. does. Selz CEO

Martin Rushe announced the acquisition in a blog post: “We have signed an agreement to be acquired by Amazon and are looking forward to working with them as we continue to build easy-to-use tools for entrepreneurs.”

The acquisition signals Amazon's interest in letting small businesses use their own websites rather than trying to direct all their traffic to its marketplace, where merchants pay commissions on each sale as well as delivery fees.

VALENTYN OGIRENKO / REUTERS Adidas is throwing in the towel 15 years after acquiring Reebok for US$3.8 billion. Reebok may fetch US$1.2 billion to US$1.8 billion, Cowen analyst John Kernan said.