VANCOUVER, British Columbia—Online retailer of eyeglasses and contact lenses, Coastal Contacts Inc. (TSX: COA) (NASDAQ: COA) (Stockholm: COA) was approved for listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “COA.” Coastal shares began trading yesterday. The stock will continue to trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm exchange.

“Our listing on the NASDAQ represents another important milestone for our company,” said Roger Hardy, Coastal’s founder and chief executive officer. “The decision to obtain a NASDAQ listing was taken to address the demand expressed by U.S. based investors and fund managers who want to participate in the growth of Coastal but are only able to own U.S. listed stocks.”

Founded in 2000, Coastal Contacts services customers in more than 150 countries through its family of websites, including Coastal.com, ClearlyContacts.ca, Lensway.com, Lensway.co.uk, Lensway.se, ClearlyContacts.com.au, ClearlyContacts.co.nz, Contactsan.com, and Coastallens.com.