As a new year unfolds, Costco Wholesale, the membership-based retail giant, is not resting on its laurels. The company is embarking on an ambitious agenda for 2026 designed to enhance the customer experience, expand its physical footprint, and refine its operations. Following a year of notable changes in 2025, including store expansions and the return of Coca-Cola to the food court menu, Costco’s plans for the coming year are more comprehensive, targeting everything from in-store efficiency to its private-label supply chain. These initiatives reflect a strategic focus on maintaining the value proposition that defines the Costco brand while adapting to evolving consumer expectations and competitive pressures. For millions of members, these changes will translate into a subtly improved shopping journey, potentially lower prices on key goods, and an even more expansive selection of the coveted Kirkland Signature products.
What’s Coming to Costco in 2026
Costco’s blueprint for 2026 encompasses several key areas of development, each aimed at strengthening its market position. A primary focus remains physical expansion, with plans to open approximately 35 new warehouse locations globally, including five replacement stores for older facilities. In a novel move, the company will also launch its first standalone, members-only gas station in Mission Viejo, California, featuring an impressive 40 pumps, further extending the value of a membership beyond the warehouse walls. Inside those walls, operational efficiency is a major priority. Costco will continue to roll out membership verification scanners at food courts to enforce access policies and is implementing new systems to speed up the checkout and exit process. This includes pre-scanning items for customers in line and deploying more “scan-and-go” technology at the exits for faster receipt verification, directly addressing one of the most common customer pain points: wait times.
Simultaneously, the company is making strategic adjustments to its acclaimed Kirkland Signature brand. By moving production closer to key sales regions, Costco aims to reduce supply chain costs and environmental impact, savings that could be passed on to members through lower prices or reinvested into expanding the brand’s variety. In the pharmacy department, a new partnership with benefits manager Navitus promises transparent, fixed-cost pricing for prescription drugs for Navitus clients, adding another layer of value to membership. Finally, acknowledging its workforce, Costco plans to institute a wage increase for hourly employees, ranging from fifty cents to one dollar per hour. While some analysts debate the impact relative to inflation, this move continues Costco’s reputation for offering better compensation and benefits than many retail competitors. Collectively, these plans demonstrate a holistic approach to growth that considers store footprint, in-store experience, product sourcing, and employee retention as interconnected components of long-term success.
