Costco keeps expanding with two new U.S. warehouses in one week

Costco opened a warehouse in Syracuse, Utah, on June 24 and another in Pensacola, Florida, on June 25, pushing its U.S. count past 640 stores. For Big Lots employees, that is a straight read on where value retail is still getting paid: shoppers are still showing up for a store that feels efficient, predictable and worth the trip. Costco’s own new-locations page shows the pipeline is not slowing down, with Albany, New York; Oconomowoc, Wisconsin; Otsego, Minnesota; and Mansfield, Texas, all listed as coming soon.

The scale behind that growth is hard to miss. In its Sept. 25, 2025 earnings release, Costco said it operated 914 warehouses worldwide, including 629 in the United States and Puerto Rico, and it reported fiscal 2025 net sales of $269.9 billion, up 8.1% from the prior year. The company also said full-year adjusted e-commerce sales rose 16.1%, a sign that its physical footprint is still being paired with strong digital demand rather than replaced by it.

Costco’s model helps explain why. Its investor relations overview says the business is built on low prices, a limited selection and operating efficiencies from volume purchasing, efficient distribution and reduced costs. That matters on retail floors because it turns merchandising into a discipline: fewer choices, faster turns and constant pressure to keep the assortment sharp enough that members do not hesitate at the register.

The company has also shown it can raise the cost of entry without losing the value story. Effective Sept. 1, 2024, Gold Star and Business memberships rose from $60 to $65, Executive memberships went from $120 to $130, and the Executive Membership 2% Reward cap increased from $1,000 a year to $1,250. In other words, Costco has been able to ask customers for more up front while still convincing them the math works in their favor.

That is the workplace lesson for Big Lots, especially after its 2025 bankruptcy deal and reset under Variety Wholesalers. Big Lots says the new Big Lots! will operate 219 stores in 15 states and will lean on a treasure-hunt mix of closeouts, bargains and everyday discretionary items. Costco’s expansion shows that value retail is still winning when the promise is clear and the execution is tight. For store teams, that usually means more traffic where the proposition lands, more pressure to keep shelves ready, and less room for sloppy merchandising or soft in-stock performance.