Can big-box retailers survive in a turbulent economic climate where shoppers are tightening budgets and buying online? Costco intends to find out. The warehouse club plans to open 33 locations in its 2027 fiscal year, which runs through August 2027, and five U.S. cities are getting a new or relocated Costco this November alone. One could be in your city.
Costco hopes that upgraded membership perks, scale, and pricing power will allow it to sustain growth and get ahead financially in a market that is highly competitive for consumer spending. Learn about Costco's expansion plans, where the new warehouses will be, and what other changes the big-box retailer is making during a transitional time for retail.
What Costco is planning
Costco's growth plan is aligned with their stated goals of building bigger warehouses with higher parking capacity and increasing the size of their gas stations to meet member demand.
It's not all about expansion, either, as the wholesale retailer is planning more member-friendly benefits. They're extending store hours, increasing Instacart integration, and adding additional fuel savings.
Costco has some setbacks
The expansion comes amid public criticism. That $4.99 rotisserie chicken has often been hailed as an amazing deal for shoppers, but it's facing two class-action lawsuits. One filed in January 2026 alleges that the chicken is not preservative-free as labeled. Another suit filed in February 2026 accuses Costco of failing to control Salmonella contamination in the poultry processing plants. Costco has pushed back on both suits.
Where Costco is building new locations
Despite challenges in today's retail landscape, Costco plans to keep expanding through 2027. Its fiscal 2027 plan calls for 33 openings, five of them relocations, for 28 net new warehouses. In November, Costco is opening five U.S. locations. Three opened in the first week of the month, and two more are on the way. See if one is coming to your city.
South Meridian, Idaho
Southeast corner of Meridian Road and Lake Hazel Road
Costco's South Meridian warehouse opened Nov. 5, 2026, and is the chain's fourth location in the Boise-area Treasure Valley. Local reports describe a 200,342-square-foot building with a 16-pump gas station.
Vallejo, California
860 Admiral Callaghan Lane
Vallejo's new warehouse opened Nov. 6, 2026, replacing the Costco that has served the city since 1989. Its gas station opened a few days earlier, on Nov. 3, and the site also has an EV charging station. The opening drew a crowd, with some shoppers reportedly camping outside two nights early to be among the first inside.
Chandler, Arizona (Costco Business Center)
1111 W. Pecos Road
Costco opened its Chandler Business Center on Nov. 7, 2026, giving the East Valley a different kind of Costco. Business Centers are open to all members, but they stock bulk food service items, cleaning supplies and other products aimed at small businesses. The site was planned with a 15-pump gas station.
Newport News, Virginia
12490 Jefferson Ave.
Newport News is getting a bigger Costco a few blocks from its current one, which has been in the city since 1988. The new site will have a 163,000-square-foot warehouse and a fuel station, and Costco told city planners it would more than double the number of parking spaces. Costco's locator shows the new gas station opening in late November, but the company hasn't posted an opening date for the warehouse itself.
Franklin, Wisconsin
7829 S. 27th St.
Opening Nov. 25, 2026, the Franklin warehouse will be the first Costco in Milwaukee County. City officials say the 164,000-square-foot store will have a 12-pump gas station at the south end of the site and 868 parking spaces. It sits on land that was previously Northwestern Mutual's Franklin campus.
Coming to Canada
Costco is also opening four warehouses in Canada this fall. Its second East Windsor, Ontario, location is set to open Nov. 20, 2026. Warehouses in Wasaga Beach, Ontario; Lloydminster, Alberta; and northeast Edmonton are also scheduled for November.
Bottom line
Costco has gotten up to a lot in 2026. In addition to expansion plans and class-action lawsuits over their chicken, Costco has started collecting refunds on tariffs it paid before the Supreme Court struck down tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in February 2026. The company received $184 million in refunds and interest in its fiscal fourth quarter, which it says is a little more than a third of what it expects.
Costco says it's using most of that money to lower prices, starting with produce, meat and beverages. Customers appreciate that their Costco membership protects them from wild price increases, so they can continue to keep more cash in their pocket.
More from FinanceBuzz:
- 12 ways to pocket up to $300.
- Are you a homeowner? Get a protection plan on all your appliances.
- 10 little weird hacks Costco shoppers should know.
- Learn how to escape the paycheck-to-paycheck grind.
Add Us On Google