Ernie Herrman

TJX had a net gain of 131 locations in fiscal 2025, bringing its total number of retail stores to 5,085 across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia.

You can define success in myriad ways: holding your ground; uncompromising ambition; the relentless pursuit of excellence; steady as she goes; staying a step ahead. The one thing shared in common by the most-heralded and well-run companies Worcester Business Journal has chronicled over 35 years is a bit of all these things.

The TJX Cos., Inc., based in Framingham, reported a $214.2 loss in the retailers second quarter, according to an earnings report released Wednesday.

It wasn’t long ago CEOs were notably absent from such societal debates. For decades, business heads were advised not to talk about hot-button issues such as religion or politics.

Shareholders at Framingham retail parent firm TJX Cos., Inc. are requesting executive pay scales be changed to help close a company-wide earnings gap where the top executive makes nearly 1,600 times more than the average workers, according to a proposal published by Trillium Asset Management of Boston. 

TJX Cos., the Framingham-based off-price apparel and home fashions retailer, announced Tuesday net sales for the third quarter increased 6% to $10.5 billion.