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:

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viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk.