Costco Wholesale Corporation, doing business as Costco, is an American multinational corporation that operates a chain of membership-only big-box retail stores. Costco traces its origins to 1976 when Sol Price opened the first Price Club in San Diego, California. In 1983, James Sinegal and Jeffrey Brotman opened the first Costco warehouse in Seattle. Costco and Price Club merged in 1993 and eventually took the name Costco Wholesale Corporation in 1999. As of 2024, Costco is the world's largest retailer of beef, poultry, organic produce, and wine. Costco is known for its wide selection of merchandise at discounted prices, ranging from groceries and appliances to clothing and electronics. As of November 2023, Costco had 129.5 million members.
Ron Vachris has been the CEO and President of Costco since January 2024. Costco's revenue for 2024 was $254.453 billion, a 6.13% increase from the previous year. Recent news includes Costco reporting January 2026 net sales of $21.33 billion, up 9.3% year over year, and extending its Instacart-powered same-day delivery service to members in France and Spain. Costco's private label, Kirkland Signature, launched in 1995, includes a wide variety of products designed to be of equal or better quality than national brands.