Official calls new store ‘most unique’
Gillian Shaw
Sun
Costco employee Jessica checks over stock as part of final preparations before the new store on Expo Boulevard is opened. Photograph by : Ward Perrin, Vancouver Sun
Vancouver’s downtown dwellers will no longer have to trek out to the ‘burbs for their big box shopping with the opening today of Costco’s first warehouse in a core urban residential area.
“It is the most unique Costco in the world,” said Robin Ross, Costco’s regional marketing manager for Western Canada.
Ross said while San Francisco has a Costco downtown, this is the first project of its kind where the warehouse has been built as part of a residential and commercial project in the heart of the city.
Part of Concord Pacific Group’s Spectrum project, the new Costco warehouse on Expo Boulevard anchors a residential development of four highrises being built on the edge of Yaletown.
Outside, the 127,000-square-foot retail outlet won’t much resemble its suburban siblings that come in on average at a heftier 140,000 square feet. Instead of being surrounded by asphalt, the store has two floors of underground parking.
Inside shoppers will still recognize the familiar towering Costco shelves of merchandise — complete with cases of soup, a selection of cereals in sizes geared for the average fraternity and bread by the loaf or by the dozen.
But in a twist that caters to downtown demographics, the new store will add a selection of products Costco shoppers won’t find in the suburban warehouses.
“In terms of merchandising it is going to be pretty different from what you would find in another Costco,” said Ron Damiani, Costco’s assistant vice-president of corporate communications. “It is going to tend to be higher end and recognize that a lot of people in the downtown core are condo dwellers.”
The regular food offerings will be augmented with an expanded deli selection of “home ready meals” or HRM’s — the grocery buzzword describing the shopping needs of multi-tasking downtown families and singles.
The cheese selection has been expanded to bring in products that might appeal to shoppers who aren’t just looking for cheese to slap on a school sandwich.
In clothing, a popular area for Costco shoppers, the brands will include such upscale names as Louis Vuitton, Ross said.
“This is a place where you can buy tires and a two carat diamond ring for $19,699,” he said.
Ross said the decision to open a store in the downtown core was made to meet the demands of “one of the most densely populated areas in North America.
“I think sometimes there is a misconception that Costco is always about bulk food products,” he said. “Coming into a Costco, the first thing you hit is major appliances and electronics, plasma TVs, iPods and high end electronics.
“I think that fits very well into the downtown market.”
Ross said the store won’t just attract downtown dwellers, but he said the retailer realized many of those in the densely populated core wouldn’t bother heading far from home to find a Costco warehouse.
“What is unique about the marketplace are the travel patterns,” he said. “People who live downtown don’t really leave downtown to shop.”
The new outlet brings the number of Costco warehouses across Canada to 69.
Costco memberships are $55 a year plus GST for consumers and $50 a year plus GST for business memberships, with both memberships including a free spouse card.
Ross said until Sunday, new members joining at the downtown location will get a $10 Costco cash card.
© The Vancouver Sun 2006
