The ribbon has been cut and the shoppers allowed inside the new, 20 per cent larger south London Costco Wholesale.
The much anticipated new location at 3140 Dingman Drive opened at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. It is 151,642 square-feet and features wider aisles, an expanded food selection, an on-site independent optometrist, a hearing aid centre, five tire centre bays, a large food court, a gas station with 24 pumps on four islands and a propane station. There are 12 checkout registers and a new self-checkout station with nine registers. Outside the warehouse, there are 800 parking spots, 150 more than the old location across the street at 4313 Wellington Road South.
More than 40 additional jobs have been added to the new store.
“With the opening of this new warehouse, we can serve all of our members in the London and surrounding area and can bring new consumers and businesses to uncover the benefits of a Costco membership,” said Gino Dorico, Senior Vice-President and Country Manager of Costco Wholesale Canada. “We are very proud to share this new location with our valued members and member businesses in the local community and throughout the area.”
A long line of people, with membership cards in hand, anxiously awaited Wednesday morning’s opening. They quickly filed in looking for deals once the doors were opened.
Among the opening week promotions are discounts on televisions, paddle boards, beef tenderloins, a wood burning pizza oven, and a seven-burner grill.
“We are thrilled about the opening of the new Costco Wholesale in south London,” Mayor Josh Morgan said in a statement. “The new warehouse has created valuable employment opportunities for the region and will strengthen the local economy by offering a wider selection of goods and services to our residents and visitors.”
Costco operates 847 warehouses worldwide and 107 in Canada. It currently employees over 43,000 people across the country, including more than 14,500 in Ontario.
