Costco International Expansion 2026: Every New Location, Every New Country and What It Means for Members

Costco is betting big on a massive global expansion strategy, aiming to open 30 new warehouses annually over the next decade. While roughly half of the expansion will remain focused on the U.S. market to meet soaring demand, the long-term vision is aggressive for store expansions abroad. "We tend to look five to 10 years out in terms of our real estate plans, and we would still see a really good roadmap for 30-plus warehouses a year, which is the goal that we have," CEO Ron Vachris said. Parade

30 new warehouses per year. For the next decade. With roughly half of those openings in international markets. That is the commercial ambition behind Costco's 2026 expansion program — and it is one of the most significant retail growth strategies underway anywhere in the global consumer economy.

The company now operates warehouses across 14 countries on five continents, and its international markets are not simply following the domestic business — in many cases they are outpacing it. During the first 18 weeks of fiscal 2026, while U.S. comparable sales grew 5.9 percent, Canada delivered 7 percent comparable sales growth and Other International markets produced a remarkable 9.5 percent comparable sales increase. Mashed

9.5 percent comparable sales growth in international markets — versus 5.9 percent in the United States. The world is growing faster than the home market. For the millions of members outside the United States who want to understand what Costco's expansion means for their access and experience, and for the millions of Americans who travel internationally and want to know where to find a Costco in their destination city, this guide covers the complete 2026 picture.

The Complete Costco Global Footprint in 2026

Costco's Q2 2026 warehouse footprint of 924 locations across 14 countries: 634 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 114 in Canada, 42 in Mexico, 37 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 20 in Korea, 15 in Australia, 14 in Taiwan, 7 in China, 5 in Spain, 3 in France, 2 in Sweden, and 1 each in Iceland and New Zealand. Mashed

The Complete Country-by-Country Breakdown:

Country	Warehouses	Notable Facts
United States + Puerto Rico	634	Primary market, 68% of total locations
Canada	114	Second largest market, 7% comp growth in FY2026
Mexico	42	Third largest, new 200,000+ sq ft Monterrey store opening
Japan	37	One of the most loyal Costco member communities globally
United Kingdom	29	Major expansion planned
Korea	20	Among highest per-location sales volumes in the network
Australia	15	Strong membership growth
Taiwan	14	Consistently strong performance
China	7	From 0 to 7 locations in just 6 years — fastest expansion
Spain	5	Topped Spanish supermarket rankings in early 2026
France	3	Third location opened near Mulhouse in late 2025
Sweden	2	Stockholm + Malmö
Iceland	1
New Zealand	1
TOTAL	924	14 countries, 5 continents

The 2026 New Openings: Where Costco Is Going Next

Monterrey, Mexico — The Largest Costco in Latin America

Other international expansion plans are moving ahead, including a more than 200,000-square-foot store in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2026 — the largest Costco warehouse in Latin America. MOJO

The Monterrey opening is a landmark in Costco's Latin American commercial story — not just because of its size (200,000 square feet exceeds the typical 150,000 to 160,000 square foot format of most U.S. locations) but because of what it communicates about Costco's confidence in the Mexican market. Mexico's 42 existing warehouses have demonstrated the commercial viability of the membership model in a market with meaningfully different income distribution than the United States — and the investment in the largest Latin American warehouse ever communicates a long-term commitment to the Mexican consumer that goes well beyond a test market positioning.

Spain — From New Entrant to Supermarket Leader

In early 2026, Costco topped Spain's supermarket rankings. Also in early 2026, Costco and Instacart stood up same-day delivery websites for France and Spain. A concrete indication of the retailer's ambitions comes in the form of a new Costco fulfillment center — its first logistics center in Europe — in Torija, Spain, 75 kilometers northeast of Madrid. The fulfillment center is on a major transportation artery for southern Europe, the Henares Corridor, connecting Zaragoza, Barcelona and France. MOJO

Spain is Costco's most commercially significant European expansion story in 2026 — not because of its five current locations (a relatively modest footprint by Costco's standards) but because of what those five locations are accomplishing: topping Spain's supermarket rankings. In a country with deeply established grocery retail culture, where hypermarkets like Carrefour and Mercadona have centuries of combined consumer relationship, Costco's warehouse club format has achieved the kind of member enthusiasm and per-location performance that makes Spain one of the most commercially exciting international markets in the entire network.

However, Costco plans to open more than 30 sites each year for the foreseeable future as part of a wider $6.5 billion expansion strategy. Costco originally planned to open more than 30 new locations in 2026, but the company revised its numbers after some construction delays in Spain. Parade

The Spain construction delays that slightly reduced Costco's 2026 new opening count communicate the specific demand pressure that Costco's European expansion is facing: the company wants to open in Spain faster than the real estate and permitting environment permits. This is a commercially favorable position — constrained by opportunity rather than demand.

Sweden — Expanding the Nordic Footprint

Costco has opened two stores in Sweden — one in Stockholm, one in Malmö. The Malmö store is set to open in July, marking an exciting milestone for it as it expands into a new European market. MOJO

Sweden's two-location presence represents Costco's Nordic market entry — a market characterized by high disposable incomes, strong consumer confidence, and a shopping culture that values quality and value simultaneously. The Malmö opening — Sweden's second-largest city, located in the southern Skåne region with close proximity to Denmark — positions Costco to serve cross-border shoppers from both Sweden and neighboring Danish consumers.

France — Third Location and Digital Expansion

France is finally getting a third Costco. The new store has passed zoning in Mulhouse-Bourtzwiller, a suburb of Mulhouse, near Basel on the France/Germany/Switzerland border. The plan is to open a 14,000 m² warehouse store. This first Costco outside of the Paris/Île-de-France region is scheduled to open at the end of 2025 and will employ 200 people. MOJO

France's third location — strategically positioned near the Swiss and German borders — extends Costco's French reach beyond the Paris metropolitan area for the first time. The Mulhouse location's position in the tri-border region (France, Germany, Switzerland) creates a member catchment that extends meaningfully beyond French national boundaries — members from Basel and nearby Swiss cities, as well as German border communities, can access the location with reasonable drive times.

In early 2026, Costco and Instacart stood up same-day delivery websites for France and Spain. MOJO

The simultaneous launch of Instacart-powered same-day delivery in both Spain and France communicates that Costco is building the digital infrastructure to serve European members who want warehouse pricing without warehouse visits — the same model that has driven the extraordinary digital growth in the U.S. market into international territory.

United States — Port St. Lucie and Inner City Innovation

Costco is moving into new territories like Port St. Lucie, Florida, while eyeing a 50-50 split between U.S. and international growth. CEO Ron Vachris is exploring unique store models for inner cities like Los Angeles and New York. Parade

The domestic expansion story is not just about international markets. Port St. Lucie, Florida — a market that has been requesting a Costco for years through community social media campaigns — represents the pattern of U.S. infill expansion that Costco is pursuing simultaneously with international growth.

The inner city store model for Los Angeles and New York is the most commercially ambitious domestic initiative in Costco's 2026 expansion program. Urban Costco locations face specific challenges — smaller footprints, urban delivery logistics, different member transportation patterns — that the suburban warehouse format does not encounter. The urban store model development, if successful, would expand Costco's U.S. member access to the densely populated urban core markets where significant member demand currently goes unserved because no location is conveniently accessible without a car.

"We're not only expanding buildings, we're relocating and we're also upgrading the insides of a lot of our older warehouses too," Vachris said. "So we continue to put the money back into the company to drive top-line sales and grow our business globally." Parade

The Markets Growing Fastest: China and Korea

China represents one of Costco's most rapid expansions in recent years. Having opened its first warehouse in fiscal year 2019, Costco grew its presence to 7 warehouse locations by the end of fiscal year 2025 — a phenomenal increase of 700% over just six years. This rapid growth illustrates Costco's ability to penetrate the Chinese market effectively, leveraging strong demand and high consumer interest in its membership-based model. aol

Korea stands as Costco's sixth-largest market by warehouse count. By the end of fiscal year 2025, Costco operated 20 store locations in Korea, marking an impressive growth of nearly 100% compared to the 11 warehouses reported in fiscal year 2014. aol

The China and Korea growth trajectories are the most commercially instructive data points in Costco's international expansion story. China went from 0 to 7 locations in 6 years — in a market where foreign retail formats have historically struggled — by delivering the Costco value proposition to Chinese consumers who responded with the same warehouse-opening-day excitement that American members generate. Korea's 100 percent location growth over a decade, combined with per-location sales volumes that are among the highest in the global network, demonstrates that the membership club model resonates with Korean consumers at extraordinary intensity.

Korea's 20 warehouses generate per-location sales volumes that are among the highest in the entire Costco global network, reflecting a member enthusiasm for the warehouse club format that rivals and in some cases exceeds domestic U.S. engagement levels. Mashed

The Future Vision: A 50-50 U.S. and International Balance

CFO Gary Millerchip described the long-range plan plainly during the Q2 2026 earnings call: "We're expecting around half, maybe slightly over half, to be in the U.S., and then just around half to slightly under half to be in the rest of the markets that we operate in — Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Australia." Mashed

A 50-50 balance between U.S. and international locations represents a profound transformation in Costco's commercial identity — from a primarily American retailer with meaningful international presence to a genuinely global retail institution. The decade-long roadmap to this balance implies roughly 300 to 400 new international locations over the next decade — a warehouse construction and market development program of extraordinary scale and ambition.

The gradual but consistent rise of Asia-Pacific markets — particularly Japan, Australia, Korea, and the early-stage China presence — points to where Costco's next decade of international growth is most likely to be concentrated, even as North America continues to generate the vast majority of warehouse count and revenue. aol

What Global Expansion Means for Members

For U.S. members who travel internationally:

Your Costco membership is globally valid. The same Executive or Gold Star card that gets you into your local Costco in New Jersey gets you into the Costco in Tokyo, Seoul, Madrid, Sydney, or Shanghai. International Costco locations stock products appropriate to their local markets — the Tokyo Costco has significant Japanese product assortment alongside U.S. imports; the Seoul Costco stocks Korean products alongside the Kirkland Signature staples — which makes visiting an international Costco one of the more genuinely interesting cultural experiences available to the traveling American member.

For members waiting for a Costco near them:

Costco is tackling "overburdened" locations. "We tend to focus on being our own toughest competitor or finding ways of how can we lower prices and continue to deliver more value," Millerchip said. For the American consumer, this could mean shorter lines, better parking and more access to bulk savings as the company tackles overburdened locations. Parade

The 30-warehouse-per-year expansion program is specifically designed to address the demand-supply imbalance at existing overcrowded locations and to bring first-time warehouse access to markets that have been requesting locations for years. If your nearest

Costco requires a significant drive, check Costco's warehouse locator at costco.com periodically — the 2026 expansion program is filling geographic gaps in markets that have demonstrated sufficient member demand to justify new warehouse investment.

At MOJO Sales & Branding, we track Costco's global expansion with the same commercial intensity we bring to its domestic developments — because the brands that build the strongest U.S. Costco relationships today are building the foundation for international brand opportunities as the warehouse network grows.

Contact us at 732.433.7873 or Susan@MOJOSalesandBranding.com.

#CostcoInternationalExpansion2026 #CostcoGlobalExpansion2026 #CostcoNewLocations2026 #CostcoSpain2026 #CostcoSweden #CostcoMonterrey #CostcoChina2026 #CostcoKorea #CostcoFrance2026 #CostcoEurope2026 #CostcoAsiaPacific #Costco30Warehouses #CostcoGlobal #CostcoMember #CostcoLife #CostcoNews2026 #MOJOSalesAndBranding #CostcoExpansion #GlobalRetail2026 #CostcoInsider

#Costcosales #Costcobrandlaunch #Costcoroadshows #sellmyproducttocostco #brandstrategyconsultants #fractionalbrandmanagers #Costcobroker #Costcobrandmanager