PRICESMART has taken over the former Nestlé distribution complex at Ferry Pen, St Catherine, for use as its new Jamaican distribution centre, filling in a major missing piece of the membership retailer’s rapidly expanding local operation.

The Nasdaq-listed company had previously disclosed plans to establish a distribution centre in Jamaica during its 2026 financial year, but had not identified where the facility would be located. PriceSmart has said the centre forms part of a wider push to improve product availability, reduce lead times, and lower landed costs across its markets.

The Ferry location gives PriceSmart an established logistics base as it prepares to double its Jamaican warehouse club network from two locations to four.

The property was developed by Nestlé Jamaica as part of a US$12.5-million investment in a new corporate office and distribution complex, which officially opened in 2018.

At the time Nestlé said the overall Ferry Pen complex covered 84,000 square metres, with the distribution centre accounting for 61,000 square metres. The warehouse was equipped with 3,817 pallet positions and formed part of a five-building complex that also included corporate offices, security facilities, haulier areas, and a mechanical workshop.

Nestlé had consolidated three separate Jamaican locations at the Ferry site, describing its proximity to the ports and major highways as an advantage for distribution islandwide.

It is not immediately clear whether PriceSmart has bought or leased the property, or the terms under which it has taken possession of the facility.

The move, however, comes as PriceSmart continues to put more logistics infrastructure behind an expanding Jamaican operation.

During its third-quarter reporting period the company said it was opening distribution centres across its multi-club markets, either directly or through third-party logistics providers. It opened a new centre in Trinidad during the second quarter and another in Colombia during the third, while identifying Jamaica as the next market targeted for a centre during fiscal 2026.

PriceSmart currently operates two clubs in Jamaica but is preparing to open a third location in Montego Bay in October, and a fourth on South Camp Road in Kingston during the winter of 2026-27.

The Montego Bay club is being developed on a five-acre property purchased by the company, while the South Camp Road store is being built on three acres under a land lease executed during PriceSmart’s first quarter of fiscal 2026.

The South Camp Road project will give PriceSmart a second location in the Kingston metropolitan area, approximately six miles from its existing club in the capital. Its opening timeline was pushed back as the company dealt with operational disruptions following Hurricane Melissa and supported recovery efforts in Jamaica.

Construction at the location is now advancing ahead of the targeted winter opening.

PriceSmart has said distribution centres form an important part of its broader supply chain strategy. The company uses the facilities to consolidate merchandise and move goods more efficiently into local markets, including products sourced internationally and from local suppliers. In markets where the system has already been implemented it said the changes have helped reduced landed costs and shorten lead times.

The company currently has 58 warehouse clubs across 12 countries and one US territory.

— Karena Bennett