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
BREAKING Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
Closing arguments heard in trial for Sask. dad accused of abducting daughter
Closing arguments were heard Thursday morning in the case of Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter in 2021 to keep her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.