Costco sales remain hot in July

Costco Warehouse Corporation says sales in July increased 14.1% year over year, fuelled in part by a surge in e-commerce.

The warehouse club operator reported net sales of US$13.04 billion for the four-week period ending Aug. 2. This is coming off a strong June when sales increased 11%.

Costco doesn't break out e-commerce figures, but notes there was a 75.3% increase in comparable online sales for July. Costco operates e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Australia.

In Canada, Costco recently announced its partnership with Instacart on same-day delivery. The service is available from 76 Costco locations to members and non-members through Instacart’s marketplace and includes fresh produce, meat and seafood, snacks, deli, frozen goods as well as baby and pet essentials.

And, with COVID restrictions easing Costco's numbers suggest there has been a steady return to in-person shopping. Costco’s same-store sales in Canada increased 10.4% for July. Same-store sales–excluding the impact of gasoline sales and foreign currency fluctuations–increased 14.8%.