Costco sales fly in March, nearly 50% bump online
Kroger, Ahold and Costco, too. The club retailer released March sales results Wednesday that saw an 11.7% leap versus last year for the five weeks ended April 5. Kroger and Ahold Delhaize saw more than 30% bumps in March, not counting fuel.
However, Costco saw its fair share of eye-popping numbers such as a nearly 50% jump in online sales for the five weeks, excluding fuel. For the 31 weeks it measured, Costco has seen a 22.4% increase in e-commerce business.
Total sales for the 31 weeks ended April 5 reached $96.25 billion, up 9% from the same period last year. Issaquah, Wash.-based Costco Wholesale, with its leading private brand Kirkland’s, said during the reporting call that COVID-19 panic has driven the sales, and the numbers are similar to what was reported in February.
As for specific categories, the call reported food and sundries were up mid-30s, one of the highest performing categories. Areas such as tires, luggage, apparel and sporting goods all underperformed during the month, not surprisingly as they aren’t deemed essential items during the coronavirus pandemic.