Costco announces the opening date of its first New Zealand store

The opening date for the first Costco store in New Zealand has finally been revealed.

According Costco website, the West Auckland mega store will open at the end of this month on Wednesday September 28.

The Costco NZ Fans Facebook group, which has been feverishly following the progress for months, also confirmed the news and is counting the days.

The store was originally scheduled to open in mid-August, but that was pushed back due to “unavoidable hurdles”.

“Our builders had a lot of delays with materials arriving late offshore. We had delays with Covid on site and we had a couple of wet months so it all kind of added up that we needed a few weeks of more to get the job done,” Costco chief executive Patrick Noone told RNZ.

Costco is a large American retailer known for its bulk groceries, as well as other items.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern recently toured the $100 million flagship store ahead of its opening.

When plans for Auckland’s first store were announced, a retail industry expert said Kiwi consumers could expect deep discounts.

“Costco will be 30% cheaper on average for most products and will offer a wide range of products from household products and catering supplies to caskets, gasoline and tires.

“It’s as if The Warehouse on steroids would be as I describe it – large in scale and huge in reach,” said Chris Wilkinson of First Retail Group.

Costco operates on a membership system, with costs starting at $55 for a business membership.