The Quick Numbers
Before diving in, here's the headline snapshot across all three retailers:
TJX: $60.4B in full-year sales (+7% YoY) · Q4 comp sales +5% · Adjusted EPS $1.43 (+16%) · 146 net new stores planned for 2026
Ross: $22.8B in full-year sales (+8% YoY) · Q4 comp sales +9% · EPS $2.00 (beat $1.88 consensus) · 110 net new stores planned for 2026
Burlington: $11.55B in full-year sales (+9% YoY) · Q4 comp sales +4% · Adjusted EPS $4.99 (+21%) · 110 net new stores + new distribution center planned for 2026
That's 366 new off-price doors opening this year. Every one of them needs product.
TJX: $60.4 Billion in Sales and 146 New Stores Coming
TJX closed fiscal 2026 with $60.4 billion in net sales, crossing that milestone for the first time. Q4 alone delivered $17.7 billion in revenue, a 9% jump over last year, with comparable sales rising 5% and adjusted EPS of $1.43, beating Wall Street expectations. The growth was broad-based, driven by both higher average basket size and an increase in customer transactions, which tells you this isn't just existing shoppers spending more, it's new shoppers walking through the doors.
But the expansion plans are what founders should really circle. TJX is opening 146 net new stores in 2026: 45 new TJ Maxx and Marshalls locations, 35 HomeGoods stores (including 11 Homesense), and 24 Sierra stores in the U.S., plus 13 in Canada, 19 in Europe including its first stores in Spain, and 10 in Australia. That brings the total fleet past 5,300 stores, with long-term plans to reach 7,000 locations globally. On top of the new doors, TJX plans to remodel 540 existing locations, signaling that they're investing in the in-store experience to keep traffic coming.
CEO Ernie Herrman said Q1 2026 is already off to a strong start and that availability of quality merchandise "continues to be outstanding." Translation for founders: buyers are actively sourcing. They have new shelves to fill and they're looking for fresh, on-trend brands to stock them.
Ross: 9% Comp Growth and 110 New Doors
Ross had arguably the strongest quarter of the three. Revenue hit $6.64 billion, up 12% year-over-year, with comparable store sales surging 9%, driven primarily by an increase in customer transactions, not just ticket size. EPS came in at $2.00, well ahead of the $1.88 consensus. For the full year, Ross posted $22.8 billion in total sales with 5% comp growth and ended the year with 2,267 stores after opening 90 net new locations across Ross Dress for Less and dd's DISCOUNTS. CEO Jim Conroy credited a combination of improved marketing, in-store changes, and stronger assortments for the inflection point in the back half of the year.
Now comes the acceleration. Ross plans to open 110 new stores in 2026, 85 Ross and 25 dd's DISCOUNTS, and Q1 guidance is projecting comp sales growth of 7–8% with total sales increasing 10–12%. What's especially interesting for CPG founders are two details buried in the call. First, cosmetics and children's categories performed particularly well, with the Pacific Northwest and Texas leading geographically. Second, Ross has been testing localized merchandise assortments using data analytics to tailor inventory to regional demographics, meaning buyers are getting more strategic about what goes on those shelves. That localization play is part of why Gen Z in-store discovery is accelerating in off-price, as these retailers are matching assortments to the shoppers actually walking in.
Burlington: The Turnaround Story Picks Up Speed
Burlington has been the underdog in the off-price trio, but this quarter showed real momentum. Q4 total sales grew 11% to $3.64 billion with comparable store sales rising 4%, on top of a 6% comp the year before, which gives Burlington a 10% two-year comp stack. Adjusted EPS jumped 21% to $4.99, beating both analyst consensus and the company's own guidance range of $4.50–$4.70. Gross margin expanded 80 basis points, driven by a 60 basis point improvement in merchandise margin, a signal that buying discipline and the "elevation strategy" CEO Michael O'Sullivan has been pushing are actually working.
Burlington plans to open 110 net new stores and a new distribution center in Savannah, GA in 2026. The company finished fiscal 2025 with 1,212 stores after opening 131 new locations and relocating 18 last year. O'Sullivan said the company is "feeling bullish" about fiscal 2026 and has "positioned the business to aggressively chase sales." That language matters. When a CEO tells Wall Street they're chasing sales aggressively, it means buyers are being told to lean in, more brands, more assortment, more open-to-buy dollars on the table.
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