Costco made a strong showing in March with double-digit comparable store gains.
Costco comps without the effects of fuel price and foreign exchange volatility increased 12.2% in March year over year, with the United States up 12.7%, Canada up 12.2% and Other International markets up 10.1%. E-commerce gained 9.2%.
Net sales gained 18.7% to $21.61 billion from March 2021.
In a conference call, Costco stated that comp traffic gained 8.2% worldwide and 7% in the U.S. versus the month a year earlier.
Regions with the strongest comparable sales were San Diego, the Midwest and the San Francisco Bay area, the company reported.
As for merchandise categories, Nonfoods was positive in the mid single digits with better performing departments including toys, tires, automotive and jewelry. Food and Sundries was positive in the low to mid teens while Fresh Foods was up in the high single digits.
