News Briefs

Costco Wholesale Corp.'s comparative store sales continued to rise in July, with another strong digital performance.

The membership warehouse club giant reported that its net sales rose 10.7% to $23.12 billion the four weeks ended August 2. Net sales for the first 48 weeks increased 10.1% to $273.55 billion.

Total comparable sales at Costco increased 8.9%, with a 10.3% increase in the U.S. and a 4.2% increase in Canada. Other international comps increased 8.9%. 

Digitally enabled comp sales rose 17.7%. For the 48 weeks ended Aug. 2, digitally-enabled comps are up 21.1%.

Total company comparable sales excluding the impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange rose 6.6%, with a 6.9% increase in the U.S,, and a 4.9% increase in Canada. Other international comps rose 6.6%.

The average transaction worldwide increased 5.1%. Excluding the impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange, the average transaction rose 2.9%. 

Traffic was up 3.3% year over year. Costco’s strongest performing regions (for comparative sales) were the Midwest, Southeast and San Diego. 

In terms of merchandising categories, foods and sundries comparative sales rose in the low-to-mid-single digits. Better performing non-food categories included jewelry, home furnishings and housewares.

Costco currently operates 933 warehouses, including 641 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 115 in Canada, 43 in Mexico, 37 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 20 in Korea, 15 in Australia, 14 in Taiwan, seven in China, five in Spain, three in France, two in Sweden, and one each in Iceland and New Zealand. Costco also operates e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Australia and China.

A Switzerland-based global athletic apparel and footwear brand is delivering a streamlined direct-to-consumer checkout experience.

On Running has built a platform with financial technology provider Adyen designed to grow with both its brick-and-mortar and e-commerce channels. The scalable, all-in-one solution for physical and digital retailing is designed to scale fast for global markets to comply with local preferences, regulations, and risk profiles, rather than relying on standalone solutions.

In addition, On Running leverages Apple Tap to Pay on iPhone technology that lets customers and associates conduct iPhone-based checkout at the point of purchase. 

Costco Wholesale Corp. has made its debut in the capital city of New York.

A project that Pyramid Management Group embarked on more than a decade and a half ago has now come to fruition. Costco has opened at the company’s Crossgates Mall Complex in Albany.

"This is a moment we've been working toward for a long time, and we couldn't be more excited to finally welcome Costco to Crossgates," said Stephen J. Congel, the CEO of Pyramid Management Group. "This project has been years in the making, and it's a testament to our team's persistence and our belief in the long-term strength of this market."

The new 163,000-sq.-ft. membership warehouse store will reign as the only Costco in New York’s Capital region. Other new tenants recently opened at Crossgates include REI, Crunch Fitness and Primark. Barnes & Noble and Ashley Furniture are slated to open there later this year. 

“Costco is excited to be here in Albany,” said Tony Dotson, the general manager of Costco Albany. “It’s been a long time coming. Over 10 years. So we are ready. Costco is ready.”

A fast-casual restaurant chain on an accelerated expansion plan is ensuring its distribution network can handle increased volume.

Culver’s is leveraging engineering and redistribution services from Armada Supply Chain Solutions to strengthen and scale its distribution network. The retailer, which has been adding 50–55 new locations annually, is projecting a 40% increase in cases shipped annually between 2026 and 2030 as it plans to maintain that expansion pace over the next three to five years including growth into markets such as Pennsylvania, New York and Oklahoma.

Culver's expects Armada redistribution services, network engineering and supply chain orchestration to yield significant cost savings and efficiency improvements through supplier optimization, freight consolidation, and improved supply chain visibility, scaling its supply chain infrastructure as its distribution volume grows.

"At Culver's, we hold every aspect of our operations to the highest standard, and our supply chain is no exception," said Adam Shrif, chief supply chain officer, Culver's. “We selected Armada because they demonstrated the expertise, technology, and commitment required to support our long-term growth strategy. Their ability to orchestrate our distribution network, improve supply chain visibility, and serve as a true end-to-end solutions partner gives us confidence that we can scale efficiently while maintaining the operational excellence our franchisees and guests expect.”

Founded in 1984 in Prairie du Sac, Wis., Culver's is a family-owned fast-casual restaurant chain that ranks among the top 30 largest restaurant brands in the U.S. by systemwide sales and continues to expand its footprint with more than 1,000 locations nationwide.

(Photo: Around the World Photos.)

Holland, Mich.-based Tommy’s Express, which claims to be the fastest-growing car wash chain in the world, has ignited its aggressive expansion program with two key hires.

Kim Chohan — a 10-year veteran of franchise development for brands that include Boston Pizza and Medicine Shoppe— will take the helm of the chain’s Canadian expansion. Two Tommy’s will be opening up north by the end of 2026, with many more planned for development.

Also hired was Kristijonas Minelga as Tommy’s franchise director for Europe. Minelga joins the company with more than six years of experience in in the European express tunnel car wash industry, handling franchise development and multi-site network growth. 

“Kim and Kris bring deep backgrounds in franchising, which made these additions incredibly intentional,” said Matt Nagelkirk, Tommy’s VP of franchise development. “Our goal from day one has been to bring Tommy’s Express to every market in the world, and adding these two team members will help us move very fast."

The company currently has 160 car washes under development worldwide, which, when opened, will take the chain to more than 430 locations.

(Pictured: Kim Chohan)

Crocs Inc. is partnering with a third-party artificial intelligence service provider to modernize its core business and IT systems.

The casual footwear brand is entering a 10-year strategic agreement with digital services and consulting firm Infosys to deliver scalable, AI-first solutions across its enterprise IT and business operations. Crocs intends these initiatives to help break down operational silos, unify data across the organization and enable real-time, insight-driven decision-making.

"As our organization reimagines its IT landscape, we sought a collaborator who could combine deep domain expertise with a commitment to innovation and operational excellence,” said Tom Britt, CIO, Crocs Inc. “By leveraging Infosys’ proven delivery frameworks and advanced automation capabilities, we will optimize operations, reduce costs and scale responsibly — while driving continuous improvement and building a foundation for sustainable growth and digital resilience that positions Crocs for the future."

Crocs has been engaging in innovative technology initiatives such as using agentic AI to read customers in the moment and ensure the dynamic relevancy of recommended products and collaborating with AI fashion design platform Ablo to let customers design one-of-a-kind Jibbitz charms.

In August 2025, the company unveiled a new store concept that features immersive storytelling and its largest personalization experience to date.

[READ MORE: First Look: Crocs goes experiential with new ‘Icon’ store concept]

“The retail industry is at an unprecedented inflection point, where new AI augmented, digital imaginations can be industrialized rapidly,” said Karmesh Vaswani, executive VP & global head, consumer, retail & logistics, Infosys. “Crocs, Inc. is making a bold commitment to digital transformation. We are proud to collaborate with a global footwear business that’s willing to reimagine its operations from the ground up.”

Headquartered in Broomfield, Colo., Crocs Inc.’s brands include Crocs and HeyDude. Its products are sold in more than 85 countries through wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels.