South London's new Costco is now open
Big box shopping in London just got a whole lot bigger.
Costco has opened its new London South location on Dingman Drive, replacing its 30 year old consumer warehouse just a stone’s throw away on Wellington Road south.
“Beautiful,” said shopper Lyia Shamoon. “It’s similar to our north side but it’s much bigger and it’s of course newer.”
At more than 150,000 square feet, the store is 20 per cent larger than the older store.
Costco Senior VP Operations for Eastern Canada, Marc-Andre Bally said it responds to growing demand in the region.
“But realistically we needed more square footage,” he explained. “We have a very loyal member base here, as you can see at 6:30 in the morning and it’s already quite busy.”
According to a news release from Costco the new store boasts “a larger variety of specialty departments, such as an on-site bakery, fresh meat, expanded produce area, rotisserie chicken section, optical centre – including an on-site independent optometrist, a newly-introduced hearing aid centre, five tire centre bays, large food court, gas station with 24 pumps on four islands, propane station and an expanded pharmacy. With 12 checkout registers, a new self-checkout section with nine stations and 1,050 shopping carts, the warehouse features 800 parking spots – 150 spots more than the former London location.”
Shoppers were ready to fill their carts as the new Costco in south London opened its doors on March 28. 2023. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)
Shopper Vilma Colling said the newly added gas station is a major plus.
“The gas station was open first. That was really a plus because that one up north is a bit far from where I am, so this is really good,” said Vilma.
And in a time of staggering inflation, some shoppers believe going big means getting the best bang for your buck. Shopper Sherry Pfeffer had her cart overflowing with items only minutes after the doors opened.
“You have to have the space to store the stuff first,” she explained. “And as long as you can break down the prices per unit and understand what the prices are here versus at the grocery store, I think you can save a lot of money.”
Costco said the store stocks 3,800 different items.
Forty new jobs have been created to staff the new warehouse.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.