Club Stores: Prepare for a New Era of Expansion

Several wholesale retailers like Sam's Club, Costco, and BJ's Wholesale are planning to open new clubs in the coming years to compete with traditional grocery stores and other mass retailers. Costco, in particular, will be increasing its annual membership fee this summer, as it typically does every five and a half years (with the last increase occurring in June 2017). If they do raise fees, we anticipate that they may use some of the extra revenue to decrease prices, while the remaining amount will be added to their profits.