Costco store to become business centre
St. Catharines store will be transformed when Niagara Falls site opens
The St. Catharines Costco store will have a future in the city after the Niagara Falls store opens its doors in November, despite signs informing customers the big box store is moving.
Costco spokesperson Neil Scharfe said the retail store customers are accustomed to will indeed move to the Niagara Falls location at the site of the former Niagara Square mall.
The St. Catharines store will be transformed into a Costco Business Centre, focusing on supplying small businesses rather than retail sales.
Scharfe said timelines have yet to be finalized, but the St. Catharines store is slated to temporarily close sometime after the Niagara Falls store opens, possibly early next year.
“It’s going to become a business centre, which is a different type of Costco warehouse situation. They sell products similar to what we have at Costco (stores) but more directed toward businesses.”
Scharfe said all Costco members will still be able to shop at the business centre.
However, the selection it offers will be focused on bulk purchases and items for businesses such as restaurants, convenience and grocery stores.
For instance, the company’s website costcobusinesscentre.ca advertises items such as 10-kilogram pails of Balkan style yogurt, 5-kg cartons of bacon and packages of 10 empty pizza boxes.
The business centres have different hours of operation than typical stores, opening at 7 a.m. and closing at 6 p.m.
The business centre planned for St. Catharines is one of several the company plans to open across Canada next year.
Costco has so far opened two business centres in Canada, including one in Saint-hubert, Que., that opened about two weeks ago, and a location in Scarborough that opened at the end of March 2017.