Coastal Appoints Neel Grover to Board of Directors

10/15/2012 9:00 AM EST

Coastal Contacts Inc
Company Announcement

Coastal Appoints Neel Grover to Board of Directors

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, 2012-10-15 15:00 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coastal
Contacts Inc. (TSX:COA) (Stockholm:COA) ("Coastal.com", "Coastal") one of the
world's largest online retailers of eyeglasses and contact lenses announced
today that it has appointed Mr. Neel Grover to Coastal's Board of Directors. 

Mr. Grover served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Rakuten
Buy.com (formerly Buy.com) from May, 2006 until his departure in September,
2012 after having served as President and COO from September, 2003. Buy.com was
acquired by Rakuten Inc., in May, 2010. Mr. Grover remains a Board Director of
Rakuten Buy.com and Rakuten U.S.A. Mr. Grover also has experience with
ThinkTank Holdings, a private equity management company, and the law firms of
Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP and Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. 

Mr. Grover received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of San Diego
School of Law and his B.A. in Economics from the University of California,
Irvine, and resides in Laguna Beach California. 

"We are delighted to have a seasoned e-commerce and social commerce leader with
Neel's deep U.S. and international experience join Coastal's Board at this
important time in the Company's development," stated Roger Hardy, Coastal's
Founder and CEO. "His knowledge developing the U.S. market for Rakuten Buy.com
will be invaluable as Coastal focuses on accelerating its rapidly growing
eyewear business in this market." 

Mr. Tushar Shah, Managing Partner of Kinderhook, LP has resigned his position
on the Board. The Company thanked Mr. Shah for his time on the Board. 

About Coastal Contacts Inc.

Coastal Contacts empowers customers to easily browse, try on and buy eyewear —
with the goal of saving time, money and sanity. With every pair of qualifying
frames purchased, Coastal Contacts donates a pair to someone in need through
its Change the View project. Founded in 2000, Coastal Contacts designs,
produces and distributes among the largest selection of eyeglasses and contact
lenses on the Internet, including a unique combination of designer eyeglasses,
contact lenses, sunglasses, and vision care accessories. Coastal Contacts
serves customers in more than 150 countries through the Coastal Contacts family
of websites including: Coastal.com, ClearlyContacts.ca, Lensway.com,
Lensway.co.uk, Lensway.se, Lensway.com.br, ClearlyContacts.com.au,
ClearlyContacts.co.nz, Contactsan.com, and Coastallens.com. 

Forward Looking Statements

All statements made in this news release, other than statements of historical
fact, are forward-looking statements. The words "may", "would", "could",
"will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect",
"goal", "target", "should," "likely," "potential," "continue," "project,"
"forecast," "prospects," and similar expressions typically are used to identify
forward-looking statements. 

Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs,
assumptions, estimates and forecasts about our business and the industry and
markets in which we operate. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of
future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are
difficult to predict. 

Persons reading this news release are cautioned that forward-looking statements
or information are only predictions, and that our actual future results or
performance may be materially different due to a number of factors. Reference
should also be made to the section entitled "Risk Factors" contained in our
most recently filed Annual Information Form dated December 14, 2011 for a
detailed description of the risks and uncertainties relating to our business.
These risks, as well as others, could cause actual results and events to vary
significantly. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements and information, which are qualified in their
entirety by this cautionary statement. These forward-looking statements are
made as of the date of this news release and we expressly disclaim any intent
or obligation to update these forward-looking statements, unless we
specifically state otherwise and except as required by applicable law. 


         CONTACT: For Further Information:
         
         Terry Vanderkruyk
         Vice President, Corporate Development
         Coastal Contacts Inc.
         604.676.4498
          
         
         or
         
         Liolios Group Inc.
         Scott Liolios or Cody Slach
         Tel 949.574.3860