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Can big-box retailers survive in a turbulent economic climate where shoppers are tightening budgets and buying online? Costco intends to find out. They're planning to open dozens of new locations this year, and one could be in your city.
Costco hopes that upgraded membership perks, scale, and pricing power will allow them to sustain growth 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.
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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 alleges that the chicken is not preservative-free as labeled. Another suit filed in February accuses Costco of failing to control Salmonella contamination in the poultry processing plants.
Where Costco is building new locations
Despite challenges in today's retail landscape, Costco plans to continue expanding into 2027, with roughly 28 new warehouses planned. Not all locations have been announced, but several will be opening throughout the spring of 2026. See if one is coming to your city.
Liberty Hill, Texas
Address: 595 U.S. 183 (March 11, 2026)
Costco's new location opened on March 11 with a 152,000 square-foot warehouse and gas station. Liberty Hill residents previously had a nine-mile drive to the nearest Costco, but now they will have all the big-box store's signature offerings locally.
The new site includes an optical department, pharmacy, hearing-aid center, food court, and tire center to serve their local members' needs.
Forney, Texas
Address: 150 FM 460 (March 11, 2026)
East Texas residents have been waiting for the construction of the new Forney location off of Highway 80 for over a year, with an initial opening date of mid-2026. But construction is wrapping up early for a March opening.
South St. George, Utah
Address: 4700 S. Desert Color Parkway (March 13, 2026)
St. George is now a two-Costco city. The warehouse opened this week, but residents were already able to make use of the fuel center, which has 40 fueling positions.
The new warehouse is larger than the other local Costco (and about 12 miles closer to residents on that side of the city). St. George offered Costco a $3.18 million incentive package and believes an additional Costco will bring benefits to the area that outweigh the loss of revenue from things like building permits, impact fees, and infrastructure-related costs, which will be deferred and forgiven if both locations continue to operate and meet performance standards over the next decade.
North Visalia, California
Address: Riggin Ave. and Shirk St. (April 2026)
The new North Visalia Costco will be part of a planned neighborhood known as Carleton Acres. Plans released in 2023 outline the inclusion of thousands of homes, along with shopping centers and schools. The new Costco will be amid a mix of residential housing, including both apartments and single-family homes.
New Braunfels, Texas
Address: 330 Addstine Lane (April 2026)
The upcoming Costco in New Braunfels is part of a master-planned community and will serve as a key retail anchor for the new development. Construction on the warehouse began in September 2025 and cost $37 million to build, along with the connected fuel station.
Winnipeg, Manitoba (Business Center)
Address: 1315 St. James St. (April 2026)
Costco Canada is opening their first Business Centre. Initial reporting indicates it was originally slated for opening in March, but the official Costco website has pushed the opening into April.
The site is being extensively renovated for conversion from a regular Costco into a Business Centre designed to serve business owners rather than families. The site will feature significantly different inventory (70% unique), even larger bulk items, no food court or samples, no bakery, no clothing, no toys, and earlier shopping hours.
Bottom line
Costco has gotten up to a lot in 2026, considering we're still in the first financial quarter. In addition to expansion plans and class-action lawsuits over their chicken, they are attempting to recoup import taxes after the Supreme Court struck down many tariffs imposed by the federal administration.
Costco largely absorbed the price increases to protect members, so getting those funds returned could meaningfully impact their financial positioning. Customers appreciate that their Costco membership protects them from wild price increases, so they can continue to save more on everyday essentials.
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.
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