Casual Male to launch six e-commerce sites overseas

Casual Male Retail Group Inc. will launch e-commerce Web sites for both its Casual Male XL and Rochester Big & Tall brands in six European countries next year.

The company has reached an agreement with GSI Commerce Inc., under which GSI will provide the Web store design, Web technology, order processing, fulfillment and call center services for the Web stores in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.

“Our Rochester London store is a very significant store and GSI will allow us to quickly establish operations across several other European countries," said Dennis Hernreich, EVP, CFO and COO of King of Prussia, PA-based Casual Male Retail Group, in a statement.

The deal will enable Casual Male to focus on merchandising and marketing as it capitalizes on its position as a leading retailer of big and tall men's apparel in North America to introduce Europeans to its brands.

GSI will localize country-specific Web components, such as online payment processing, content translation and customer services.

"While language and currency customization for each country in Europe are obvious examples of what is required of an e-commerce platform, different methods of payment highlight the need for an e-commerce platform to tailor the customer's e-commerce experience to country specific consumer behaviors,” said Steven C. Davis, president and managing director of GSI Commerce Solutions International S.L., in a statement. He added that taking a one-size-fits-all approach to the European market is not a viable solution.

The Web stores are scheduled to launch during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008.