Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports March Sales Results

Rhea-AI Summary

Costco (COST) reported strong sales growth for March 2025, with net sales reaching $25.51 billion, an 8.6% increase from $23.48 billion last year. For the first 31 weeks, net sales grew 8.3% to $158.87 billion.

The company's total comparable sales increased 6.4% for the five-week period, with notable performance across regions: U.S. (7.5%), Canada (4.1%), and Other International (2.9%). E-commerce showed remarkable growth of 16.2%.

Excluding gasoline prices and foreign exchange impacts, comparable sales were even stronger: Total Company (9.1%), U.S. (8.7%), Canada (10.6%), and Other International (9.9%). The additional shopping day due to Easter's calendar shift positively impacted total and comparable sales by approximately 1.5%.

Costco currently operates 903 warehouses globally, with e-commerce presence in eight countries.

Positive

• Net sales increased 8.6% to $25.51 billion
• E-commerce sales grew 16.2%
• Strong comparable sales growth of 9.1% excluding gas and forex
• Consistent growth across all regions
• Expanding global presence with 903 warehouses

Negative

• International growth slower than domestic markets
• Some growth partially attributed to calendar shift rather than organic growth

Insights

Retail Financial Analyst

Costco delivered strong March sales results with $25.51 billion in net sales, representing a 8.6% year-over-year increase. The 31-week performance was similarly robust at $158.87 billion, up 8.3% from the prior year period.

The most telling metric - comparable sales excluding gasoline price fluctuations and foreign exchange impacts - shows even stronger performance at 9.1% for the five-week period. This organic growth demonstrates exceptional performance for a retailer of Costco's scale.

Regional performance reveals particular strength in Canada (10.6%) and Other International (9.9%) markets compared to the U.S. (8.7%) on an ex-gas/forex basis. Meanwhile, e-commerce continues its impressive trajectory with 17.5% comparable growth for March.

It's worth noting that these figures benefit from a calendar shift due to Easter timing, which added approximately 1.5% to both total and comparable sales. Even adjusting for this one-time factor, the growth remains substantial.

Costco continues its strategic expansion with 903 warehouses across 15 countries, providing additional growth vectors beyond comparable sales increases at existing locations. The consistent performance across regions and channels reinforces Costco's strong market position and effective execution of both brick-and-mortar and digital strategies.

ISSAQUAH, Wash., April 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: COST) today reported net sales of $25.51 billion for the retail month of March, the five weeks ended April 6, 2025, an increase of 8.6 percent from $23.48 billion last year.

Net sales for the first 31 weeks were $158.87 billion, an increase of 8.3 percent from $146.64 billion last year.

Comparable sales for the periods ended April 6, 2025, were as follows:

		5 Weeks		31 Weeks
	U.S.	7.5%		7.0%
	Canada	4.1%		4.9%
	Other International	2.9%		3.0%
	Total Company	6.4%		6.1%
	E-commerce	16.2%		16.8%

Comparable sales excluding the impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange were as follows:

		5 Weeks		31 Weeks
	U.S.	8.7%		8.0%
	Canada	10.6%		8.9%
	Other International	9.9%		8.9%
	Total Company	9.1%		8.3%
	E-commerce	17.5%		17.7%

March had one additional shopping day versus last year, due to the calendar shift of Easter. This positively impacted total and comparable sales by approximately one and one-half percent.

Additional discussion of these results is available in a pre-recorded message. It can be accessed by visiting investor.costco.com (click on “Events & Presentations”). This message will be available through 4:00 p.m. (PT) on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
        
Costco currently operates 903 warehouses, including 623 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 109 in Canada, 41 in Mexico, 36 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 19 in Korea, 15 in Australia, 14 in Taiwan, seven in China, five in Spain, two in France, and one each in Iceland, New Zealand and Sweden. Costco also operates e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Australia.

Certain statements contained in this document and the pre-recorded message constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For these purposes, forward-looking statements are statements that address activities, events, conditions or developments that the Company expects or anticipates may occur in the future. In some cases forward-looking statements can be identified because they contain words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events, results or performance to differ materially from those indicated by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, domestic and international economic conditions, including exchange rates, inflation or deflation, the effects of competition and regulation, uncertainties in the financial markets, consumer and small business spending patterns and debt levels, breaches of security or privacy of member or business information, conditions affecting the acquisition, development, ownership or use of real estate, capital spending, actions of vendors, rising costs associated with employees (generally including health-care costs and wages), workforce interruptions, energy and certain commodities, geopolitical conditions (including tariffs), the ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, regulatory and other impacts related to environmental and social matters, public-health related factors, and other risks identified from time to time in the Company’s public statements and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company does not undertake to update these statements, except as required by law. Comparable sales and comparable sales excluding impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange are intended as supplemental information and are not a substitute for net sales presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

CONTACTS:	Costco Wholesale Corporation
	David Sherwood, 425/313-8239
	Josh Dahmen, 425/313-8254
	Andrew Yoon, 425/313-6305

COST-Sales

FAQ

What was Costco's (COST) total sales growth in March 2025?

Costco's net sales grew 8.6% to $25.51 billion in March 2025 compared to $23.48 billion in the previous year.

How did Costco's (COST) e-commerce perform in March 2025?

Costco's e-commerce sales grew 16.2% in March 2025, or 17.5% excluding gasoline prices and foreign exchange impacts.

What was COST's comparable sales growth across different regions in March 2025?

U.S. sales grew 7.5%, Canada 4.1%, and Other International 2.9%, with total company comparable sales at 6.4%.

How many warehouses does Costco (COST) operate globally as of March 2025?

Costco operates 903 warehouses across 15 countries, including 623 in the United States and Puerto Rico.

How did the Easter calendar shift affect Costco's (COST) March 2025 sales?

The additional shopping day due to Easter's calendar shift positively impacted total and comparable sales by approximately 1.5%.