Costco has opened its 18th UK warehouse, in Sheffield, and has revealed that its 19th depot will be at Ellesmere Port just outside Chester.
Costco UK managing director Francis Ball said the company has started development of a warehouse at Ellesmere Port and hoped to be able to open it prior to Christmas. He said timings would be very tight, however, because consent for the development stipulated that some highway work had to be carried out.
The Sheffield warehouse is the third Costco has opened in the UK in a year, matching its stated target of opening three warehouses a year.
Ball said two or three warehouses were in the planning stage for next year and that Costco's eventual aim was to construct around 50 warehouses in the UK.
The opening was attended by Jim Sinegal, the founder and president of Costco, who praised the staff for the way they had prepared the warehouse.
Ball said he was pleased by the early results of the new warehouse. Prior to the opening Costco's on-street marketing team had been calling on local independent businesses and he said they had received a warm welcome.
The new warehouse makes Sheffield one of the most competitive cash and carry markets in the UK. In 2004 Parfetts opened a new depot in the city, and Booker, Batleys and Makro all have depots near the new Costco.
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