EUROPE'S biggest online shoe store, the York-based www.shoe-shop.com has been short-listed to win the prestigious North Star award.

The competition recognises the most technologically innovative and entrepreneurial young companies in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Shoe-shop.com, a venture spearheaded by Stuart Paver of York-based Pavers Shoes Ltd and Steve Cochrane, of fashion firm Psyche Ltd, began the dotcom business with a £1 million launch in March. It now sells more than 10,000 different styles of shoes on the internet.

The North Star Awards search for the, "brightest business", is looking for excellence in innovation, as well as having the drive and spirit needed to build a successful business and finding new ways of using improving technology to deliver existing products or services to markets.

Shoe-shop.com has developed over the last year and has evolved over the last six months to bring on board all the top footwear brands in one virtual store. Stuart Paver, managing director of Pavers Shoes Ltd, said: "Conventional retailing is limited by the amount of people that can enter the store. Traditional mail ordering sometimes requires lengthy telephone conversations or order filling and posting.

"Web ordering is much more user-friendly and fun, and has no time constraints. Also a terrestrial shoe store can only stock a limited range and has high running costs, whereas a cyberspace store can carry an unlimited range and is much more efficient to run."

The North Star Award will present £40,000 in cash and business training, legal advice and market services from sponsors to the eventual winner.

Mr Paver said of shoe-shop.com's nomination: "The last six months have been very testing particularly when we attempted to try something new. Fortunately, however we have been very pleased with the level of brands we are selling and online sales we have already achieved.

"This recognition is fantastic, and I am hopeful that despite the impressive competition we will clinch the award, which would go some way to contributing to developing our future plans to start trading in Europe."