Blue Nile Expanding to Europe and Asia-Pacific

Blue Nile recently announced that it has begun offering international shipping to twelve new countries throughout Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. In addition to the U.S., Canada, the UK and Ireland, the online diamond and jewelry retailer will now ship to customers in Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland and Taiwan.

Over the past year, Blue Nile has invested significant effort into its international expansion strategy. In 2007, the company launched new websites in Canada and the UK, enhancing its product offerings and providing the ability to make purchases in each country’s local currency.

In addition, an office was opened in Dublin, Ireland with local customer service and fulfillment operations to better serve the company’s growing customer base in Europe.

"International growth will remain a priority for Blue Nile going forward," commented CEO Mark Vadon. "We are excited about introducing the Blue Nile brand into these twelve new markets and will look to this expansion as a basis for pursuing future opportunities as we build out our business overseas."

Blue Nile's decision to expand into these new markets was based on a number of relevant factors, including online shopping adoption rates, market size, and, most importantly, an increased demand from consumers, especially from the Asia-Pacific region. Since the 2007 launch of the company's new UK website and the opening of its Dublin office, these requests have grown to include numerous countries throughout Europe.

Although the company has not yet provided final 2007 figures, it did note that in 2007, its international sales grew over 100 percent to $17.2 million. In the fourth quarter of 2007, international sales grew more than 150 percent year-over-year.