What the potential Burberry and Coach merger says about luxury retail

A Burberry-Coach marriage would hardly make a power couple.

Burberry is reportedly in talks to acquire Coach for an estimated $20 million, according to financial blog Betaville. Burberry has been plagued with declining sales, announcing earlier this week that wholesale revenues from sources like department stores dipped 14 percent overall, down 25 percent in the U.S. market alone. Likewise, Coach has struggled to retain its brand image, announcing this summer that it planned to scale back offerings at mid-tier department stores in an effort to move toward a more high-end image.