Costco Reports Strong July Sales

Costco finished July with sales of more than $20 billion for the month, an 8.5% increase over the comparable month a year ago.

For the four weeks that ended Aug. 3, total sales were $20.89 billion. Company-wide comparable store sales, excluding the impact of gasoline and foreign exchange, were up 7%. Same-store sales excluding gas and foreign exchange in the U.S. were up 6.5%, up 9.1% in Canada, and up 7.5% in other international locations. E-commerce comparable sales were up 14.9%.

In the U.S., regions with the strongest comparable store sales were the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast. Product categories with the strongest growth in July were candy, fresh foods, meat, bakery, men’s apparel, jewelry and gift cards.

Net sales at the warehouse club through the first 48 weeks of the retailer’s fiscal year were $248.35 billion, up 8.1% over the same period the previous fiscal year. Company-wide comparable store sales through the first 48 weeks were up 7.6%.

Costco currently operates 910 warehouses, including 626 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 110 in Canada, 41 in Mexico, 37 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 20 in Korea, 15 in Australia, 14 in Taiwan, seven in China, five in Spain, two in France, two in Sweden, and one each in Iceland and New Zealand. Costco also operates e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Australia.