Buy these niche retailers with bright futures

Article Excerpt

Many traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers continue to struggle against the pandemic onslaught of online shopping and the impact of past inflation. Still, we believe the unique markets of TJX and North West offer you the possibility of strong gains ahead. NORTH WEST COMPANY, $49.44, is a buy. This retailer (Toronto symbol NWC; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (www.northwest.ca; Shares outstanding: 47.8 million; Market cap: $2.4 billion; Dividend yield: 3.2%) sells food, and everyday products and services through 227 stores. Those locations are mainly in northern communities across Canada and throughout Alaska. Through your shares, you also tap the company’s operations in remote parts of Hawaii, the wider South Pacific and the Caribbean. North West owns North Star Air Ltd., a Thunder Bay-based airline. North Star provides cargo and passenger services in the following regions of Canada: northwestern Ontario, northern Manitoba and Nunavut. In the quarter ended April 30, 2025, overall sales rose 3.9%, to $641.4 million from $617.5 million a year earlier. Same-store sales rose 3.5% in the…