City’s first Costco Business Centre officially opens By: Aaron Epp Posted: 9:29 AM CDT Friday, Mar. 27, 2026 Last Modified: 5:25 PM CDT Friday, Mar. 27, 2026 Updates

Claudette Proctor describes her affinity for Costco as “hardcore.”

The Woodlands resident was part of a crowd of about 40 customers who gathered by 6:30 a.m. Friday, awaiting the grand opening of Manitoba’s first Costco Business Centre at 1315 St. James St. in Winnipeg.

“This is more for business, but I’m curious to see what will be here because it’s so different,” said Proctor, who has held a Costco membership for 35 years and visited the company’s location in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, while vacationing there last year.

“I’m hardcore Costco.”

The 137,000-square-foot facility is a conversion of the city’s first Costco warehouse, which opened in 1990 and closed in November — a day before the big-box retailer opened a warehouse at 4077 Portage Ave.

The business centre differs from a traditional Costco warehouse. More than 70 per cent of the products are unique to the store, targeting the needs of businesses of all sizes, including restaurants, offices and convenience stores.

Although the inventory is curated for business owners, all Costco members are welcome, said Marc-André Bally, Costco’s senior vice-president of operations Western Canada.

“The (products) are still in a format that can please a lot of households,” he said. “So whether you’re a business or you don’t have a business, you can shop at the business centre.”

Costco Wholesale Corp. spent “several million dollars” on the transformation, Bally said.

“I’m hardcore Costco.”

The facility includes a 14,000-sq.-ft. cooler and an indoor loading area, and offers next-day delivery service. There is a full-service pharmacy on site, which Bally said is unusual for Costco business centres.

“We know that the Winnipeg members really appreciate our pharmacy service,” he said. “Typically, in the business centre, you would not see a pharmacy, but in this location, we do have one.”

When the St. James warehouse closed, staff moved to Portage Avenue. The business centre has created 190 new jobs, Bally said, a number the company expects will grow as business increases.

Costco Wholesale operates 928 warehouses worldwide and 115 warehouses across Canada.

The St. James facility is the company’s 11th business centre in the country.

Daniel Fertuck, the business centre’s general manager, was feeling good about the grand opening. Before relocating to Winnipeg last fall, he was the assistant general manager at a Costco warehouse in Saskatoon, where he was born and raised.

“It’s exciting to be able to offer something different,” said Fertuck, who’s worked for Costco for 24 years. “A lot of people feel this location on St. James was home — both employees and members. So living close by, shopping close by, people are excited for it.”

Fertuck was joined by Bally and several Costco executives for Friday morning’s opening celebrations. They cut a bright red ribbon alongside Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham.

“It’s really, really great to see the ongoing investment of Costco within our community, creating jobs, having a great impact on our economy as well,” Gillingham said during the ceremony.

The store impressed Rodney Olafsson, who exited the building around 7 a.m. after purchasing beef tenderloin and ribeye steak. The St. James neighbourhood resident hosts weekly Sunday night dinners for 12, and holiday gatherings that draw 35 to 40 people.

“I actually had my doubts, but coming in here now, I think there’s a big market (for this),” Olafsson said, adding he spotted a couple of store owners he knows. “I know that it fits a need, and for regular members like me, it’s going to be a nice occasional opportunity.”

The first Canadian Costco warehouse opened in Burnaby, B.C., in October 1985. Today, Costco Wholesale employs more than 50,000 people across the country.

Revenues from corporate sales for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2025, were US$269.9 billion.

The company’s chief executive, Ron Vachris, was expected to visit the St. James business centre later Friday.

Costco also has local warehouses on McGillivray Boulevard and Regent Avenue West. It plans to open a 162,000-sq.-ft. hub in West St. Paul at the end of 2027, Bally said.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca