Financial/Banking

San Diego -- Warehouse club operator PriceSmart reported Thursday that net income for the quarter ended Feb. 28 rose 31% to $17.9 million, compared with $13.7 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue rose 23% to $449.6 million from $366.1 million, mainly on higher warehouse club sales. Wall Street expected revenue of $386.1 million.

Same-store sales rose 16.7% in March.

Kearney, Neb. -- The Buckle announced Thursday that its CFO will step down by February 2012.

Giving no reason for the planned departure, the teen retailer said that CFO Karen Rhoads will continue in her position through the completion of the fiscal year, which ends Jan. 28, 2012, unless a new CFO is found before then.

The company said Rhoads plans to continue to serve on the board of directors.

San Francisco -- Gap has entered into a new $500 million revolving credit facility with a syndicate of banks led by BofA Merrill Lynch, J.P. Morgan and Citigroup Global Markets. The new financing matures in 2016 and replaces the company’s existing $500 million revolving credit facility. As part of the same financing agreement, the company also entered into a $400 million five-year term loan.

New York City -- Although there were some same-store drops among the discount retail players in March, most beat Wall Street expectations and showed that shoppers are continuing to spend despite a less-than-ideal economic climate.

Costco Wholesale Club was a strong performer in March, beating analysts’ estimates with a 7% rise in same-store sales for the month, excluding fuel. Wall Street expected a 5.5% increase.

Satellite television provider Dish Network was selected as the winner of a bankruptcy court auction for the assets of Blockbuster late Tuesday with a bid valued at $320 million, the company announced late that day. The actual cash price Dish will pay is closer to $228 million after adjustments are made for cash and inventory. The deal is expected to close during the second quarter, according to Dish Network.

Irvine, Calif. -- Private-equity firm Apax Partners will acquire California-based ERP software range developer, Epicor Software and Activant Solutions, a provider of business management software solutions. Apax will pay a total of $2 billion for the acquisitions and combine the two companies.

Bismarck, N.D. -- Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle announced that it has been named as the new property and leasing manager for Kirkwood Mall, an 845,000-sq.-ft. enclosed mall in Bismarck, N.D., by an affiliate of Radiant Partners that recently purchased the mall from Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.

Kirkwood Mall was built in 1970 and contains 80 shops, anchored by Herberger’s, I. Keating Furniture World, J.C. Penney, Scheels and Target.
 

HOUSTON -- Cardtronics, the world's largest retail ATM owner, announced that Lucia Romanello Crater has joined Cardtronics as the company's new VP U.S. merchant sales.