Jeffrey Brotman
Costco’s co-founder and chairman
BORN SEPTEMBER 27, 1942 - DIED AUGUST 1, 2017 AGED 74
IN the 24 years since Jim Sinegal and his business partner Jeffrey Brotman opened their first Costco warehouse, the company has mushroomed into the world’s second biggest retailer after Walmart.
Selling everything from discounted Cartier watches to bulk packs of baked beans, it now has 84 million card-carrying members worldwide and last year the retail giant – which operates more than 700 wholesale warehouses in 11 countries – generated revenue of nearly $119billion.
Born to a Jewish couple in Tacoma, Washington, Brotman’s family later moved to Seattle. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1964 with a degree in political science and then earned a law degree three years later, after which he began practicing law but only briefly.
He and his brother Michael started Bottoms, a jeans store for young women, and in the 1980s to mid-1990s they operated Jeffrey Michael, a chain of men’s stores. Brotman, who always had a propensity to think big, was first alerted to the idea of a warehouse store serving small businesses by his father Bernard.
He had come across Price Club, the first nationwide members-only discount warehouse, in San Diego in the 1970s and urged his son to do something similar.
A decade after Sinegal and Brotman opened their first warehouse they merged with Price Club.
While Sinegal was responsible for overseeing operations and finances, Brotman handled the real estate moves. As well as being an early investor in Starbucks, Brotman was also a keen philanthropist who donated generously to educational, medical and cultural sectors.
He died in his sleep and the cause of death remains unclear. He is survived by his wife Susan, son Justin, daughter Amanda and brother Michael.