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New Costco store coming to Malaga
The US retail giant is planning to open a store on the Costa del Sol and another in Valencia
US superstore Costco Wholesale has announced they are going to open a branch at the Malaga Nostrum retail park, bringing a slice of Americana to the Costa del Sol.
Costco is the second biggest chain in the world after Walmart, but for anyone who has never been there it’s worth pointing out that it doesn’t work like a normal supermarket.
They sell everything from food to clothes, electronic items to jewellery, domestic appliances to toys, kitchen utensils to decorative products and much more, with the vast majority of products being sold in bulk in extra-large, family-sized packs, which is how they can keep prices so low.
Costco also manages to sell its products so cheaply because they don’t splash out on extravagant marketing techniques or pretty stores. In fact, their shops look more like industrial warehouses than retail outlets but customers obviously don’t mind as Costco is one of the most popular businesses in the world.
The other difference is that at Costco, you’re not just a shopper – you have to be a member! Unlike its cousins Walmart and other superstores, Costco is like a club where you have to join and pay an annual membership fee in order to be able to shop there.
The cost is 36 euros per year for the general public, and 30 euros for companies and self-employed people. Once you have signed up, you will receive a membership card that you need to hand over at the checkout.
Costco in Spain
The Malaga venture will not be Costco’s first store in Spain. Their first European store was opened in Seville back in 2014. Since then, Costco has opened stores in Getafe, Madrid in 2015, in Las Rozas, Madrid in 2020 and at the end of last year a store was opened in Sestao, Vizcaya. As of 2020, this retail giant had more than 320,000 members in Spain.
In 2023, the company plans to open a branch in Paterna, Valencia, and will most likely get around to opening the Malaga store sometime in 2024.
Images: Wikimedia commons
