Warehouse Clubs & Superstores Industry Overview

Companies that operate membership-only and non-membership warehouse clubs and superstores.

Summary

Membership has never been less exclusive. And that’s just the way warehouse club operators, such as Costco Wholesale, SAM'S CLUB, and BJ's Wholesale Club, like it.

Full Warehouse Clubs & Superstores Industry Description

Strong Industry Growth

Driven by consumer interest in low prices and a somewhat unique shopping experience, retail sales in warehouse clubs grew at an annual average rate of 15 percent between 1992 and 2005, compared to a 6 percent growth rate for all general merchandise stores. During the same period, warehouse clubs increased from about 15 percent of the general merchandise store sales to over 50 percent. The number of warehouse clubs more than doubled between 1997 and 2002, and expansion came at the expense of grocery stores and department stores. Even during the last recession, clubs enjoyed double-digit growth, while many other retailers suffered.

Full Warehouse Clubs & Superstores Industry Trends

• Costco Wholesale Corporation
• Marktkauf Holding GmbH
• PriceSmart, Inc.

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Hoover's has developed its own industry classifications to better serve its customers. These classifications are mapped to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the older U.S. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. The Warehouse Clubs & Superstores maps to a number of NAICS codes including:

Full Warehouse Clubs & Superstores Industry Codes

• Food Marketing Institute
  

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