Tropical Storm Nate's damages and effects are still being tabulated and addressed in Costa Rica. The storm's 24 hours of straight rain in most of the country has affected many parts of the economy, as well as forever changed people's lives who lost their homes, businesses, schools and even communities. Golfito's duty free zone in the southern Pacific region of Costa Rica is no exception. ...

If travel takes you to the balmy town of Grecia, best known for its miles of used car dealerships at the entrance to the town and located about 30 minutes west of San José, you can now indulge in your favorite Subway sandwich or soup. This is the 13th locale of the popular U.S. health-conscious fast-food chain to open outside of the San José, Costa Rica Greater Metropolitan Area Other Subway...

Los Angeles, California-based Korn Ferry International, a leading global human resources strategy consulting firm, announced the opening of operations in Costa Rica with offices at Avenida Escazú, a posh commercial center in the western San José suburb of Escazú. The head-hunting multinational, which has grown through various mergers since its founding in 1969, now has more than 7,000 emplo...

Costa Rica's businesses are trying to catch up technology-wise and offer consumers contactless credit card payment options. The technology means cashiers have no contact with your card and don't ask for your ID when you pay for a product. Many consumers prefer this, as it minimizes the risk of personal data being stolen or a card being forgotten at the store if a cashier forgets to give it back...

What happens when entire communities build their tourist businesses and livelihoods around an active  volcano? That is the story of the rural communities surrounding Poás Volcano in the aftermath of this year's eruptions that caused closure of the Poás Volcano National Park. The closure has left dozens if not hundreds of families struggling for their survival, having switched from agricultur...

The Costa Rican supermarket chain, Auto Mercado, opened its latest retail outlet in Guadalupe, a northeastern district of San José, making it the fourth Auto Mercado store in the eastern section of the capital. With a US$1 million investment, this is the upscale supermarket's second new store to open in 2017, said the company. The other opened in Santo Domingo de Heredia in January, which is...

Relocating to a new country can be both exciting and scary, but usually, more than anything it can be quite a challenge, especially if you are making the move with your entire family, since this poses particular needs. If you’ve already made your decision to relocate to Costa Rica you probably have a lot of questions, and it’s important that you make your research and try to get all your answer...

Forbes Mexico released earlier this year its list of Richest Men of Central America. Their research showed that these men had reinvented themselves, they had invested in emerging markets and diversified their businesses, which is a reflection of their vision and abilities. The list includes 9 names, only one is Costa Rican. Although the Central American region with a population of over 46 milli...

Costa Rican Company CRB Restaurants, owner of the Chili’s franchise in Costa Rica, is opening new restaurants but this time with pizza as the main dish. The Crew Pizza & Salad opened its first location this October 10 at Plaza Real Alajuela; a 200 square meter are with capacity for 70 customers and with the concept of creating your own pizza or your own salad. Andrés Gómez, general manager ...

Upscale chain Swarovski known for its crystal jewelry, watches, Christmas ornaments and home decorations has announced the establishment of a Global Business Service in Costa Rica from which it will handle its operations in America. To retain its strong competitive global position, Swarovski continuously looks for ways to improve and adapt its business and processes to stay one step ahead. The ...

The Plano, Texas-based eatery, Pizza Hut, is strengthening its presence in Costa Rica with plans to open six more restaurants, as well as remodeling existing outlets to match their updated brand. The first new opening on December 15, will be at the Vías San Isidro shopping center in Coronado, a district northeast of San José, and will involve a $1.2 million investment. The other new Pizza Hu...

With more than six thousand kilos of cocaine and 692 kilos of marijuana confiscated from export shipments over the past five years, according to the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Security, exporters are concerned about the impact on Costa Rica's competitiveness. Infiltration of merchandise with illegal drugs and other substances not only affects the export sector, but is a national security co...

The new location of PriceSmart shopping club in Santa Ana, Costa Rica opens doors today, (Thursday, October 5th) at 9:30 a.m. Located in the area of Río Oro, Santa Ana this new shopping club required and investment of approximately US$25 million (US$12 million corresponding to the purchase of he land), the highest so far from all others in the country, because of the sustainability practices us...

The Costa Rican Ministry of Finance sent a reminder to all business owners that Monday, October 2 was the deadline for paying this year's portion of the annual corporation tax that went into effect Sept. 1, 2017. Anyone with an active and inactive registered business. also known as an "S.A.", in Costa Rica should have paid by Monday, Oct. 2 the tax amount corresponding to the months of Septembe...

On average, companies in the Central American region pay 45.8 percent of their profits in taxes, while companies in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries on average pay 41 percent. A study on the evolution of the fiscal situation in Central America by the Federation of Central American Chambers of Commerce (FECAMCO, in Spanish) revealed the fact that in Costa Ri...

Multiplaza Escazú and Curridabat will be the first commercial centers in Costa Rica to join Costa Rica's National Strategy on Eliminating Single-Use Plastics, such as non-biodegradable straws, cups, bags etc. Currently, half of Multiplaza stores use paper or cardboard packaging, and the malls have a history of responsible waste management and environmental policies. The shopping centers, one lo...

Elementia S.A.B. de C.V., a Mexican company led by magnate's Carlos Slim and Antonio del Valle Ruiz, announced a US$17 million investment in a cement plant in Costa Rica. The company plans to expand its cement business in Central America with new facilities whose operation will begin in the first half of 2018 under the Fortaleza by Plycem brand. The new facilities will have a capacity to pro...

AirXpanders a medical device company focused on the design, manufacture, sale and distribution of the AeroForm® Tissue Expander System, today announced that its manufacturing transfer to a contract manufacturer in Costa Rica is complete and manufacturing capability for its AeroForm device is operational. Additional production capacity will enable the company to cost-effectively manufacture a highe...

Costa Rica's first shipload of golden pineapples set sail for China in June of this year, and demand for the sweet variety is growing. Costa Rican pineapples face competition in the Chinese market from the Philippines, but exporters say their main concern is boosting production in order to meet both existing and new demand. "Our challenge is the increase in production ... At this moment the ex...

Costa Rican Vice Minister of Foreign Trade, Jhon Fonseca, concluded a third round of negotiations on a recent trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) centered on attracting investments for the country's planned "megaport" on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. At the site of the Moín, Limón port, an expanded facility with improved capacity and logistics aims to be able to receive over two and a h...

Britt Group continues to grow in Costa Rica and with the purpose of strengthening the business it has divided into two divisions, Café & Chocolates Britt (Britt Coffee & Chocolates) and Morpho Travel Retail. Café & Chocolates Britt will continue handling everything that has to do with the coffee and chocolate products with concepts such as the Britt Espresso, Chocolatería Britt Café...

LatAm Logistic Properties, a leading operator, and developer of Class-A logistic properties in Costa Rica, Colombia, and Peru announced it has signed a new build-to-suit lease agreement with PriceSmart, the largest operator of U.S.-style membership shopping warehouse clubs in Latin America and the Caribbean, for a 16,000-square meter regional distribution facility in Costa Rica. The new logisti...

Municipalities in the Central and South Pacific regions of Costa Rica have shortened the time it takes to have a business permit granted, said government representatives of the Alcanzando Escala program (which translates to Achieving Scale). In order to improve the business climate in the Central and South Pacific region of the country, municipal procedures that previously lasted 33 days can no...

The new iPhone 8 will go on sale in Costa Rica at select Gollo stores Monday, September 25. Five Gollo stores - their large ones - will offer the new iPhones which come with 5.45 inch screens and 64 GB of memory. The plus size - with a larger 6.25 inch screen - will not be available for sale in Costa Rica until a later date, said the company. Purchases can also be made through Gollo's online...

At around 10:30 this morning, police closed the Pequeño Mundo in San Rafael de Escazú for several hours while they apparently searched for possible counterfeit items, according to police reports. All 11 branches of the large outlet type store will be searched by judiciary investigative police officials (known in Spanish as the OIJ), continued reports. The store, which is reminiscent of Kmart...

You can now carry out face-to-face interactions with Spirit Airlines representatives in downtown San José, Costa Rica, thanks to an alliance with a Costa Rican travel agency. The office is located near the city's main thoroughfare, Paseo Colón, north of the Centro Colón building. The budget airline said that because Costa Rica is one of their main points of operation in Central America, the ...

Travel Excellence is the first company in Costa Rica to be certified for gender equality in the workplace (a program initialed SIGIG in Costa Rica). The Technical Standards Institute of Costa Rica (Inteco) issued a national gender equality standard in December 2013 with input from the National Institute of Women (INAMU) which sets out the requirements for an organization to achieve gender equal...

Snow cones are a popular dessert in Costa Rica, and now you can enjoy them anytime you want and customize it according to your preferences. “Taller de Copos” (snow cone workshop), opened its doors in the 7 Bancas shopping center in San Rafael, Escazú with an investment of around $60,000.00. The concept offered is similar to the one offered by ice cream shops that allow you to choose the ic...

PriceSmart is almost ready to inaugurate its seventh shopping club in Costa Rica located in Santa Ana. The new PriceSmart is located in the area of Río Oro, Santa Ana, and will be opening doors this October, generating approximately 150 direct jobs. PriceSmart carried out several job fairs with the help of the Santa Ana Municipality with the objective of hiring personnel that lives in a close r...

Over 2,000 homes and businesses in Guanacaste, Costa Rica will benefit from a new clean energy source: that created by the region's abundant sun, said a report in Central America's Summa business magazine. The energy distribution company Coopeguanacaste, R.L. has developed the Juanilama Solar Park, the largest in the country with an installed capacity of 5 Megawatts (MW) and generating 9 Gigawa...

Driven by the growth of tech services, Tek Experts, a technical and business services multinational, opened new offices at Terra Campus in Tres Ríos on September 13th, establishing a major source of employment in Costa Rica. Tek Experts offers support of leading industry software, application development, training and education, sales support, customer service, hardware support and software sol...

Need a quick, super boost of energy? Rooster is "the first natural, coffee-based, low-calorie energizer," to be created and sold, say the energy drink's Costa Rican creators. With no sugar, no gluten and no lactose, the 15-calorie drink is said to help with physical endurance and performance, with burning fat, and with aiding in mental alertness, concentration and memory, on the Rooster Coff...

Burger King Costa Rica this week announced plans to open a new restaurant in San Rafael de Escazú, as the company, which scaled way back a couple of years ago, begins to make a comeback in Costa Rica. The new fast food location will be in San Rafael de Escazú, 50 meters east of the Yanuario Quesada School and across from the Barrio Lujan bakery, said the company. Last year, Burger King repor...

Grupo Britt Costa Rica is holding a job fair in Guanacaste this week from September 11 - 14 where the company aims to hire at least 50 people for its stores, and new food and beverage outlets. For its Britt cafés, the company is hiring food and beverage supervisors, baristas, kitchen assistants, wait staff, tellers, and cleaning assistants. All positions except cleaning positions require a h...

Samsung launched a virtual store for its clients in Central America, and the same is now available for Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic. According to Adolfo Fermo, online business manager for Samsung Electronics, many consumers in Central America were forced to purchase their Samsung devices through a foreign platform which meant additional charges, long waiting times and issues to...

Zipcar Costa Rica is the first car sharing service available in Costa Rica and Latin America, part of the Zipcar network, it offers an alternative to renting a car and public transportation. Car sharing services allow you to rent a car by the hour or day; this can be done online or through their App and pay only for the time used. Special or luxury cars are also available and can be reserved ev...

Costa Rica's retail clothing and accessories store, Ekono, with 37 outlets throughout the country, announced this week an alliance with AirPak - Western Union, said the company in a press release. The partnership will allow customers to access the Colorado, U.S.-based transnational Western Union's domestic and international money wire services. With this alliance, customers of Ekono will be ...

Costa Rica's Sibu Chocolate company recently took the silver medal at the International Chocolate Awards ceremony for its apple and lemon caramel-covered milk chocolate bonbon, made with 55 percent cocoa, said a report in Central America's Summa business magazine. Sibu stood out among 650 chocolates submitted from around the world, and was the only award winner in Central America. The carame...

On a tour in East Asia since last week, Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Affairs Manuel Gonzalez Sanz has visited Indonesia and also Brunei to strengthen diplomatic and trade relations with both nations, said the foreign ministry this week. After meeting in Jakarta with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Gonzalez presided over the formal inauguration of Costa Rica's embassy which opened ...

Roche, a branch of Hoffman-La Roche, selected Escazú Village as the new headquarters of its Costa Rican Global Shared Information Technology Services Center. The center will serve the company's operations in Canada and the United States, said a report in Costa Rica's Summa business magazine. F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide under two di...