[Gerryk12]

I have previously spoken to someone in the marketing dept. (corporate) and the population is not the right "mix" as they need larger family units to market to. We are mostly retired and in very small family (husband/wife, etc) groups. However, it doesn't hurt for you to post the email address for their contact and to have as many of The Villages residents contact them.

[JerryLBell]

Originally Posted by Northerner52

No way a Costco will be built here. Not enough population. They want millions in the cities they build. Drive hour to Westly Chapel or Orlando once a month to get my Costco fix

Anchorage, Alaska has a population of 294,000 (2017 Census). OK, that's just over twice the population of The Villages (not counting surrounding cities). But they have two Costco locations.

Juneau, Alaska has a a population of just 32,000 (2011 Census), or about a quarter of the population of The Villages. And they have a Costco location.

It's not just population that Costco looks at. They also look at what people are likely to buy at their locations. They have to sell enough "big ticket" items (furniture, electronics, cars, etc.) to warrant a location. Allegedly, Sams Club struggles in The Villages because most of us fill up the car there to save a few cents per gallon and maybe buy some smaller grocery items or the occasional lower-end TV. So maybe it's understandable that they don't come here.

What really puzzles me is, why doesn't Trader Joe come here? They are related to Aldis and often appear in the same markets. Aldis has two locations currently in the area and a third one on the way. Trader Joe has none. And my wife has to drive clear up to Gainesville to get her Trader Joe goat cheese and a few other specialty items there. It sure would save me some gas and time if they built a location here!

[EdFNJ]

Originally Posted by JerryLBell

Anchorage, Alaska has a population of 294,000 (2017 Census). OK, that's just over twice the population of The Villages (not counting surrounding cities). But they have two Costco locations.

Juneau, Alaska has a a population of just 32,000 (2011 Census), or about a quarter of the population of The Villages. And they have a Costco location.

It's not just population that Costco looks at. They also look at what people are likely to buy at their locations. They have to sell enough "big ticket" items (furniture, electronics, cars, etc.) to warrant a location. Allegedly, Sams Club struggles in The Villages because most of us fill up the car there to save a few cents per gallon and maybe buy some smaller grocery items or the occasional lower-end TV. So maybe it's understandable that they don't come here.

What really puzzles me is, why doesn't Trader Joe come here? They are related to Aldis and often appear in the same markets. Aldis has two locations currently in the area and a third one on the way. Trader Joe has none. And my wife has to drive clear up to Gainesville to get her Trader Joe goat cheese and a few other specialty items there. It sure would save me some gas and time if they built a location here!

They def don't want "millions" where they open but you can't compare Alaska to the "lower 48". Totally different. As for TJ's she can also go to Orlando area, there are 2 TJ's and it takes 1hr or less depending where in TV you live, to get there which is less than Gainesville and at the same time hit one of the 2 Costco's as well as Whole foods and check out Disney Springs. Then have dinner on "restaurant row" right near TJs in Dr Phillips (Orlando) where there is everything from Wendy's to Ruth Chris. Rt 4 can be avoided for the entire trip except for maybe 1 mile if you don't have a GPS.

[dmatkin]

I have been doing business with Costco since the mid-80's. This includes the US as well as International Regions. I am still active with Costco working with companies attempting to do business with them. As a result I have some good contacts with Costco Executives and have a clear understanding of their business model. Further, I have many close friends that are employed at Costco corporate (Issaquah Washington) that keep me up-to-date on whats happening with Costco.

I too would like to see a Costco close to TV's. Last month I contacted the SVP for the Southeast Region requesting an update on plans for a location down here. Below is the email reply I received on January 8th in quotes:

"Good Morning
We are still In the early stages of looking for the right property and one that makes sense knowing the size (of the market) and competitive environment. Our real estate group is running into issues with finding something that is affordable by our standards. Thanks for checking back."

Bottom line----they are looking, but land costs around TV's is very expensive these days. I can tell that Costco will not announce any information on a new location until land is acquired and permits granted.

I hope this helps-----keep your fingers crossed.

[Two Bills]

They said they would be here when Tom Brady retires!

[Fastskiguy]

Originally Posted by Northerner52

No way a Costco will be built here. Not enough population. They want millions in the cities they build. Drive hour to Westly Chapel or Orlando once a month to get my Costco fix

They just opened a store in Rockford IL.....with a shrinking population and nowhere near the $$ as the villages. Just sayin', it's possible.

[npwalters]

Originally Posted by Northerner52

No way a Costco will be built here. Not enough population. They want millions in the cities they build. Drive hour to Westly Chapel or Orlando once a month to get my Costco fix

There is a Costco and 2 Sam's Clubs in Huntsville, AL - population 194,000.

[Pickbent]

Wonderful store chain with outstanding quality of foods and goods with superb customer service, no hassles on returns,etc. huge Need for them here in fast growing TV. Where tired old stores and strip malls on Rt 411, 27, etc. just not up with more upscaleTV shoppers’needs.

[EdFNJ]

Originally Posted by npwalters

There is a Costco and 2 Sam's Clubs in Huntsville, AL - population 194,000.

From Wikipedia: "The Huntsville metropolitan area's population was 417,593 in 2010, making it the second most populous metropolitan area in the state. The Huntsville metro's population reached 462,693 by 2018."

Lot's of technology (and tech workers) and lots of military bases (military families) and lots of businesses catering to them who buy what they sell.

How big is "The Villages Metropolitan Area"? We got Ocala, Leesburg, Lots of beef herds, Okawaphunka and and Howey in the Hills. Lot's of part-time and full-time old folks too. It's not just the town where they locate it's the demographics of what is all around it including industry, technology, retail and other things they consider..

[llmcdaniel]

Oh balogna! We had a Costco in our small town of 18,000 in southern Oregon, and it did very well.

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by llmcdaniel

Oh balogna! We had a Costco in our small town of 18,000 in southern Oregon, and it did very well.

[Bridget Staunton]

Could you please provide the web address. I have been on many of their site and didn’t see anything

[Mikee1]

Originally Posted by dmatkin

I have been doing business with Costco since the mid-80's. This includes the US as well as International Regions. I am still active with Costco working with companies attempting to do business with them. As a result I have some good contacts with Costco Executives and have a clear understanding of their business model. Further, I have many close friends that are employed at Costco corporate (Issaquah Washington) that keep me up-to-date on whats happening with Costco.

I too would like to see a Costco close to TV's. Last month I contacted the SVP for the Southeast Region requesting an update on plans for a location down here. Below is the email reply I received on January 8th in quotes:

"Good Morning
We are still In the early stages of looking for the right property and one that makes sense knowing the size (of the market) and competitive environment. Our real estate group is running into issues with finding something that is affordable by our standards. Thanks for checking back."

Bottom line----they are looking, but land costs around TV's is very expensive these days. I can tell that Costco will not announce any information on a new location until land is acquired and permits granted.

I hope this helps-----keep your fingers crossed.

At one point I had the opportunity to chat with Costco Execs, I was told the demographics they look for are family income $100,000 plus, families, average ticket or sale of $400.00. there were a couple of other things as well, but this was the beginning of the list. We typically do net spend that on an average trip. This is Costco's biggest limiting factor of coming to TV.
$50.00 average ticket does not interest them much...

[Don5154]

It’s 10 minutes away 🤪

[graciegirl]

We belonged to Costco and Samsclub in Cincinnati.

We are going to Samsclub in a few minutes to get a cheesecake, a chocolate layer cake and some fruit for a ladies get together at our house tomorrow. They have excellent cakes and very good meat and we have purchased many household items from them over the years. We are satisfied with one major store in the same category as Costco. It may be the reason Costco doesn't come, because the market is covered.

We are glad we have Samsclub here. I think it has been here for about a dozen years. It is on 441/27 across from Kohls, for those who are new.