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PriceSmart PriceSmart Announces Fiscal 2021 Second Quarter Operating Results NET MERCHANDISE SALES GREW 3.1 % OPERATING INCOME INCREASED BY 15.9 % DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE INCREASED BY 8.2 % COMPARABLE NET MERCHANDISE SALES GREW 1.1 % SAN DIEGO , April 8 , 2021 / PRNewswire / -- PriceSmart , Inc. ( NASDAQ : PSMT ) , operator of 47 warehouse clubs in 12 countries and one U.S. territory , today announced its results of operations for the fiscal second quarter of 2021 which ended on February 28 , 2021 . Comments from Sherry S. Bahrambeygui , Chief Executive Officer : " PriceSmart achieved solid results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2021 , with continued focus on strengthening our Company as a trusted part of our members ' lives . The quarter started with the grand opening of our new Usaquén Club , our third club in the greater metropolitan area of Bogotá which is located in the heart of a densely populated area . We believe that the Usaquén Club should drive sales growth , provide greater convenience and strengthen our presence in a market that provides significant growth opportunity . In addition , in late February and early March , we launched our first two PriceSmart Pharmacies in Costa Rica . We believe that this incremental membership benefit will be well received and complements our Optical service . We plan to launch several more PriceSmart Pharmacies by the end of the calendar year . Additionally , we continue to invest in our omni - channel efforts to improve service and offer greater convenience to our Members . " Despite our success , the pandemic still weighs on our business in certain markets . Similar to what we have seen in the United States , infection rates increased dramatically in our markets during and after the holiday season . This brought the return of government - mandated club closures , primarily in Panama , but we also experienced club closure days in Colombia and some other Caribbean markets . In total , we had 142 club days lost this quarter versus 51 in the first quarter of fiscal year 2021. We also faced challenges in Trinidad , as our decision to limit U.S. merchandise imports , due to a lack of sufficient U.S. dollar availability for currency exchange purposes , negatively impacted sales . However , we are pursuing avenues to increase the level of imports in support of sales in Trinidad . " Although varying pandemic - related restrictions throughout our markets change almost daily , our global team of approximately 10,000 associates has continued to source exciting , distinctive , carefully curated merchandise and deliver goods and services at a great value in a safe and clean environment . " Second Quarter Financial Results Total revenues for the second quarter of fiscal year 2021 increased 3.4 % to $ 937.6 million compared to $ 906.7 million in the comparable period of the prior year . For the second quarter of fiscal year 2021 , net merchandise sales increased 3.1 % to $ 898.4 million from $ 871.7 million in the second quarter of fiscal year 2020. Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations impacted net merchandise sales negatively by $ 27.3 million , or 3.2 % , versus the same period in the prior year . The Company had 47 warehouse clubs in operation as of February 28 , 2021 compared to 45 warehouse clubs in operation as of February 29 , 2020 . Comparable net merchandise sales for the 45 warehouse clubs that have been open for greater than 13 ½ calendar months increased 1.1 % for the 13 - week period ended February 28 , 2021 compared to the comparable period of the prior year . Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations impacted comparable net merchandise sales negatively by $ 26.2 million or 3.0 % versus the same period in the prior year . The Company recorded operating income during the fiscal second quarter of $ 45.0 million compared to operating income of $ 38.8 million in the prior year period . Net income attributable to PriceSmart was $ 28.2 million , or $ 0.92 per diluted share , in the second quarter of fiscal year 2021 as