Costco on its Way
By EMILY RAMSEY
Managing Editor
ANTICIPATED RETAILER: Construction work has begun on Costco, which will sit on the west side of Memorial Drive at 103rd Street. The club warehouse is planned to open by November of this year, barring weather delays.
EMILY RAMSEY for GTR Newspapers
Those eagerly anticipating the opening of Costco may only have to wait until the 2015 holiday season.
Steve McArthur, real estate consultant for Costco, says that the company hopes, barring weather delays, that the club warehouse will open in the fall. “However, if we can’t open by Nov. 1, we will push it into next year,” he says.
The membership-only store will sit on 18 acres at 103rd Street and Memorial Drive with a 150,000-square-foot warehouse and a separate 4,000-square-foot liquor store and gas station.
This is the first Costco in the state of Oklahoma, with demographics and land being key reasons for the choice, says McArthur.
“This area has individuals with high incomes, nice homes, which shows that they have discretionary funds to spend,” he says.
“Tulsa was our number one choice,” he continues.
The company plans to eventually expand into Oklahoma City after evaluating the success in the Tulsa market.
However, McArthur isn’t planning for disappointment.
“There are 900,000 people in the greater Tulsa market. We usually have a few stores to cover that amount people,” he says.
Costco will, no doubt, see shoppers from across the greater Tulsa area and beyond due to its pricing and selection, including wines.
“We are the largest seller of fine wines in the world,” says McArthur.
Costco’s offerings played a major factor in why the city of Tulsa was so intent on bringing it within city limits.
“We choose retailers that will improve residents’ quality of life,” says Crystal Keller, construction and retail development manager for the city of Tulsa.
Updated 02-02-2015
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