News Briefs

PriceSmart Inc. continues to grow its retail footprint.

The San Diego, Calif.-based membership warehouse club has purchased land and plans to open its 10th warehouse club in Costa Rica, located in Ciudad Quesada, which is about 47 miles northwest from the nearest PriceSmart in the capital of San Jose. The new club will be built on a six-acre property and is expected to open in the fall of 2026. 

In addition, and as previously announced, PriceSmart plans to open in La Romana, Dominican Republic in the spring of 2026; and Montego Bay and South Camp Road (Kingston), Jamaica, in the fall and winter of 2026. The opening of the four locations in 2026 will give the company a total of 60 warehouse clubs.

First Quarter 

PriceSmart's net income increased 7.3% to $40.2 million, or $1.29 per share, in the quarter ended Nov. 30,  compared to $37.4 million, or $1.21 per share, in the year-ago period.

Total revenues rose 9.9% to $1.38 billion compared to $1.26 billion in the comparable period of the prior year. Comparable merchandise increased 8.0%. 

PriceSmart operates 56 warehouse clubs in 12 countries and one U.S. territory (10 in Colombia; nine in Costa Rica; seven each in Panama and Guatemala; five in Dominican Republic; four each in Trinidad and El Salvador; three in Honduras; two each in Nicaragua and Jamaica; and one each in Aruba, Barbados and the United States Virgin Islands).

A major convenience store/fuel retailer is building on the success of a store management initiative in Europe.

Circle K, a subsidiary of Alimentation Couche-Tard, is deploying the Quorso Intelligent Management Platform at more than 7,800 stores across the U.S. and Canada.

This rollout follows Circle K’s implementation of the solution across 12 European countries in 11 different languages. It consolidates typically siloed store management solutions, such as tasks, surveys, performance analytics, and exception reporting.

[READ MORE: Circle K deploys store management platform across Europe]

"Building on the success of our prior rollout in Europe and a successful pilot in North America, we’re pleased to expand Quorso across our U.S. and Canadian networks," said Hélène Drolet, VP of operational excellence, North America at Circle K. "This powerful tool is helping our store managers save time, act on data-driven insights, and identify opportunities that make the biggest difference for our customers and our business."

By leveraging the Quorso platform, Circle K intends to enable store personnel to spend more time with customers and on the sales floor, focusing on actions that will drive value for shoppers. This fits in with a store operations strategy the retailer calls "Fast, Friendly, and Customer Ready."

“We’re proud to extend our partnership with Circle K after delivering great success across more than 4,000 Circle K stores in Europe,” said Quorso CEO Julian Mills. “We will soon be live in over 12,000 Circle K stores across the world and are excited to simplify things for their store and field leaders by combining data-driven insights and alerts with dynamic store walks and audits, along with intelligent, prioritized store tasking.”

GameStop continues to shrink its brick-and-mortar portfolio.

The struggling video game retailer revealed in a December 2025 Securities and Exchange filing that it planned to close a "significant number of additional stores" during the rest of its 2025 fiscal year, which ends on Jan. 31, 2026. Although GameStop has not disclosed the exact number of stores planned for closure, reports from local media and customer notices indicate that up to 200 stores could go dark.

In its third-quarter earnings report, GameStop said it had closed 590 stores in the United States during the previous fiscal year as part of a “store portfolio optimization review.” During the quarter, revenue fell 4.6% to $821 million as sales of hardware, software and accessories declined.

The retailer is closing stores as it continues to deal with declining revenue amid the shift to digital game sales. In the face of declining sales, GameStop has been touting its cost-cutting efforts and improved efficiencies. It has also has invested in cryptocurrency and focused on the growing trading card market along with expanding its collectibles (figurines) offerings.

[READ MORE: GameStop unveils $35B pay plan for CEO Ryan Cohen tied to 'extraordinary' growth]

Target Corp. wants to be the destination for everyday wellbeing. 

The retailer is expanding its wellness products assortment by 30%, adding thousands of new items priced under $10 and more exclusives. Along with the new items across its entire assortment, Target is sharpening its focus on wellness with enhanced in-store and digital experiences designed to give customers more personalized ways to discover products for their wellness regimen.

Target's elevated wellness experience includes its first-ever in-store wellness events, with product sampling and giveaways on Saturday, Jan. 10 and Saturday, Jan. 17 in its stores nationwide. In other initiatives, customers will find Target’s exclusive Joy Lab Glow Studio apparel and accessories at the front of the store and curated cross-category wellness displays throughout the aisles.

On the digital front, Target is launching a refreshed  “Wellness Hub’ on its web site and its app, offering personalized recommendations. It also has revamped the "Eat Well Your Way" experience on Target.com and the Target app to make it easier for customers to shop by dietary preferences such as protein, fiber, gluten-free and more.

Target is spotlighting its new wellness brands and exclusive products in a new marketing campaign, “Wellness, Perfectly Picked for You.”

"About 70% of guests are already shopping wellness at Target and right in time for the new year, we're bringing them even more newness and value by adding some of the most trusted, relevant and inspiring brands across our assortment," said Lisa Roath, executive VP and chief merchandising officer of food, essentials and beauty, Target. "Our goal is to make wellness really accessible – fun, easy, affordable and personalized — so consumers can focus on building routines that help them look and feel their best."

Target said it plans to introduce new products in 2026 across its owned brands and exclusive partnerships, plus in categories like sporting goods and wearable tech.

Lowe’s is expanding its footprint in the Lone Star State to kick off 2025.

The home improvement giant will debut two new stores in Texas in January to meet the needs of “rapidly growing communities.” Lowe’s will open a store in Celina (north of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex) on Jan. 23, as well as a store in Manvel (south of the Houston metropolitan area) on Jan. 30. 

Each store features approximately 94,000 sq. ft. of retail space, 30,000 sq. ft. of outdoor garden space, and will employ more than 100 associates. The new Texas stores will include dedicated Buy Online Pick Up In-Store Zones, as well as enhanced assortments in flooring, kitchen and bath, appliances, workwear and pet products. They will also offer self-service paint kiosks to reduce wait times for guests.

Last November, Lowe’s added to its Texas store count with new locations in Midlothian and Royse City.

"Service is at the core of everything we do here at Lowe’s and solving problems and helping customers across their journey is our mandate," said Joel Cogdell, president of Lowe’s South Division. "Whether that’s helping a family settle into their new home or helping a Pro get everything they need for their project, we are excited to open stores in these communities and begin providing the value and exceptional service Lowe's is known for."

[READ MORE: Numerator: Home Depot, Lowe's capture nearly half of home improvement spending]

Based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe’s employs approximately 300,000 associates and operates over 1,700 home improvement stores, 530 branches and 130 distribution centers.

Waterproof footwear brand Vessi has made its brick-and-mortar debut.

The Vancouver, B.C.-based company opened its first physical retail store on Jan. 7 at Bellevue Square in Bellevue, Wash., located outside of Seattle. The location features Vessi’s full lineup of lightweight men’s, women’s and kid’s footwear built with the brand's proprietary Dyma-tex waterproof knit technology, as well as select outwear.

The company has sold more than 2 million pairs of shoes globally, with the Pacific Northwest representing one of its strongest customer regions.

"Opening our first U.S. store is an important step for the brand," said Andy Wang, CEO of Vessi who co-founded the brand in 2018. "The Pacific Northwest has always been a core market for us, and Bellevue is a natural place to bring the Vessi experience into a physical retail setting.”

Josh Larsen, Vessi's director of retail & store development, said that the company would love to open more stores in the U.S. in the future.

"Bellevue is an important first step, and we’re looking forward to seeing how customers engage with the brand," he added. "Stay tuned for more.”

[READ MORE: Boot brand Blundstone debuts U.S. flagship — with two more stores planned]

In connection with the store opening, Vessi says it will donate all profits from the Bellevue store's opening period through the first weekend of operations to support relief and recovery efforts following recent floods in Washington. A separate donation will also be made to support flood-affected communities in Abbotsford and the Lower Mainland in British Columbia.

Bellevue Square, part of The Bellevue Collection, features more than 200 retail shops along with dozens of restaurants.