5 More Costco Stores Are Opening This Fall: Is A Location Near You?

Costco (COST) is opening even more stores this fall after announcing that it was opening five new locations in the U.S. and two internationally in July and August.

The wholesale retailer, which has more than 800 stores globally, said in its annual report that it plans to open 20 new clubs in 2021.

The new stores will open in San Antonio, Texas, and Stafford, Texas, in September, followed in October by openings in Duluth, Minnesota, and Avon, Indiana, in the U.S., and Anjou, Quebec, in Canada.

Costco opened locations in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Moore, Oklahoma in July, followed by openings in Springfield, Missouri, and Naperville, Illinois, in August.

The international stores opened in July and August were located in Moriyama, Japan, and Lake Macquarie, Australia.

Costco is one of the few retailers that are growing its brick-and-mortar portfolio as the company sees its revenue increase amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Net sales for the four-week period ending Aug. 1 for the company were $15.21 billion, up 16.6% from $13.04 billion a year ago. Compared to a year earlier, Costco reported net sales of $176.3 billion, up 17.8% from $149.66 billion.

The retailer also benefited at the height of the pandemic as an essential business that remained open amid lockdowns and has seen strong sales through stimulus spending. Its discounted bulk merchandising has drawn in consumers even as it forgoes services such as curbside pickup and home delivery that other retailers offer to attract consumers.

However, with a resurgence of COVID cases, social media reports have indicated that Costco stores have been hit with shortages of products and placed limits on some high-demand items. Shoppers voiced their concerns on Twitter about hoarding and panic buying by consumers as the Delta variant surges across the U.S.

The Costco website doesn’t indicate which items have limits, just saying, “Some warehouses may have temporary item limits on select items.”

As of Monday premarket hours, shares of Costco were trading at $448.87, down $1.47, or 0.33%.