BOSTON, December 1 /PRNewswire/ --

- With Photo

- Third-Largest US Home Goods Web Retailer Whets Appetite of UK Cybershoppers with its First European Site: CookwareEssentials.co.uk

CSN Stores LLC, a Top 3 U.S. online retailer of home furnishings and housewares with 200+ specialty sites, has expanded into the United Kingdom with CookwareEssentials.co.uk, its first transactional site to service shoppers beyond the U.S. and Canada.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081201/NEM036 )

With additional niche sites set to debut in the coming months, CSN Stores plans to continue its expansion into the U.K. throughout '09 and beyond. Part of CSN's expansion includes launching its European headquarters in Galway, Ire., which will open in January.

Through CookwareEssentials.co.uk, CSN introduces consumers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to a new brand of convenient, hassle-free online shopping complete with innovative browsing software and well-trained customer service representatives -- defining hallmarks of a CSN Store.

CSN has been able to marry enhanced search capabilities and expert service with unparalleled product selection and low prices to provide U.K. consumers with a new online shopping experience -- one that promises greater enjoyment and ease, said CSN's CEO/Co-Founder Niraj Shah. We also see this expansion as the next logical step in our company's evolution as we enter an entirely new marketplace.

The First and Future Sites

On CookwareEssentials.co.uk, U.K. shoppers will find well-known brands, including LeCreuset, Meyer, Mauviel, Circulon and Prestige, and a breadth of kitchen must-haves, from cutlery to cutting boards and dutch ovens to oven mitts. With advanced navigation capabilities, Cookware Essentials shoppers can search via manufacturer, material, model, and more, all to make the shopping experience easier than it is on many other U.K. sites.

Following CookwareEssentials.co.uk, CSN plans to improve overseas online shopping options in the lighting category through a new site set to launch by Q1 of 2009, after which, other furniture sites should follow. Similar to Cookware Essentials, the new sites will provide underserved niche audiences with a retail platform committed to excelling through detailed selection and presentation.

Eventually, we hope to become a one-stop shop for U.K. consumers, as we are in the U.S., says CSN's Chairman/Co-Founder Steven Conine. As we continue to build relationships with more U.K. suppliers, we hope to expand into new categories and launch site after site, as we did in the U.S. when we started our operations in 2002.

Growing Beyond Current Borders

Founded by Shah and Conine just six years ago, CSN now employs 450 staffers working in the Prudential Center, one of Boston's most-coveted office buildings. The company has grown from US$425,000 in sales in 2002 to US$202 million last year. Sales continue to rise in 2008.

Plans are also in place to expand beyond the U.K. to other European countries in 2009, including Germany. We're committed to our expansion and to our European customers, added Shah. The CSN shopping experience has become increasingly popular among U.S. consumers in just six short years and we're anticipating that we'll be able to set a new, higher standard in online shopping globally, as well.

About CSN

CSN Stores LLC, an Inc. 500 company, is ranked among the Top 3 leading online U.S. retailers in the housewares and home furnishings category by Internet Retailer. In August of this year, CSN began shipping to Canada, marking the start of its international expansion. U.K. consumers interested in new kitchen items and cookware should go to CookwareEssentials.co.uk. To learn more about CSN Stores, visit CSNStores.co.uk. Shop easy at CSN.

Note to Editors:

A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA Photowire. It can be downloaded from http://www.pa-mediapoint.press.net or viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk.

Chuck Casto of CSN Stores LLC, +1-617-502-7223, ccasto@csnstores.com / Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081201/NEM036