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Decoding the Formation of a Retail Giant: the Evolving Geography of Costco’s Store Network

Although Costco operates over 580 warehouse stores throughout North America, their location strategy remains relatively unexamined in the economic geography literature. A cursory examination of Costco’s network makes it clear that the firm chooses to locate primarily in the suburbs of major cities, where income levels are somewhat higher than the national average. However, what is not clear is the extent to which other demographic and geographic factors adequately account for Costco’s store locations, and what strategy underlies the geography of the firm’s warehouse stores, especially in relation to its distribution network. This research studies Costco in order to decode the location strategies that have guided the company’s North American and international expansions. The investigation attempts to identify key elements of Costco’s multinational retail network, including this network’s evolution over time. This paper seeks to benefit both retail business and public policymakers by highlighting elements of Costco’s location strategy that have contributed to the firm’s success.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc822836
Date12 1900
CreatorsTesta, Peter
ContributorsRice, Murray Delbert, 1966-, Tiwari, Chetan, Heidkamp, C. Patrick
PublisherUniversity of North Texas
Source SetsUniversity of North Texas
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis or Dissertation
Formatvii, 108 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), maps (chiefly color), Text
RightsPublic, Testa, Peter, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved.

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