ISSAQUAH, Wash., Sept. 06, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: COST) today reported net sales of $11.0 billion for the retail month of August, the four weeks ended September 2, 2018, an increase of 12.2 percent from $9.8 billion last year.
For the 16-week fourth quarter, the Company reported net sales of $43.4 billion, an increase of 5.0 percent compared to net sales of $41.4 billion in the 17-week fourth quarter of fiscal year 2017.
For the 52-week fiscal year ended September 2, 2018, the Company reported net sales of $138.4 billion, an increase of 9.7 percent from the $126.2 billion reported in the 53-week fiscal year 2017.
Comparable sales were as follows:
| 4 Weeks | 16 Weeks | 52 Weeks | |||||||
| Retail Month | Fourth Quarter | Fiscal Year | |||||||
| U.S. | 11.3% | 10.8% | 9.4% | ||||||
| Canada | 2.7% | 5.7% | 8.9% | ||||||
| Other International | 5.3% | 6.7% | 10.8% | ||||||
| Total Company | 9.2% | 9.5% | 9.5% | ||||||
| E-commerce | 23.8% | 26.2% | 32.2% | ||||||
Comparable sales excluding the impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange were as follows:
| 4 Weeks | 16 Weeks | 52 Weeks | |||||||
| Retail Month | Fourth Quarter | Fiscal Year | |||||||
| U.S. | 8.9% | 7.8% | 7.4% | ||||||
| Canada | 4.8% | 4.6% | 4.1% | ||||||
| Other International | 6.8% | 6.9% | 7.1% | ||||||
| Total Company | 8.0% | 7.2% | 6.8% | ||||||
| E-commerce | 24.5% | 26.3% | 31.3% | ||||||
Additional discussion of these results is available in a pre-recorded telephone message. It can be accessed by dialing 1-855-859-2056 (conference ID 73993619). This message will be available through 5:00 p.m. (PT) on Wednesday, September 12, 2018.
Costco currently operates 762 warehouses, including 527 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 100 in Canada, 39 in Mexico, 28 in the United Kingdom, 26 in Japan, 15 in Korea, 13 in Taiwan, 10 in Australia, two in Spain, one in Iceland, and one in France. Costco also operates e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Korea, and Taiwan.
Certain statements contained in this document and the pre-recorded telephone message constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For these purposes, forward-looking statements are statements that address activities, events, conditions or developments that the Company expects or anticipates may occur in the future. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events, results or performance to differ materially from those indicated by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, domestic and international economic conditions, including exchange rates, the effects of competition and regulation, uncertainties in the financial markets, consumer and small business spending patterns and debt levels, breaches of security or privacy of member or business information, conditions affecting the acquisition, development, ownership or use of real estate, capital spending, actions of vendors, rising costs associated with employees (generally including health care costs), energy and certain commodities, geopolitical conditions (including tariffs), and other risks identified from time to time in the Company’s public statements and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company does not undertake to update these statements, except as required by law.
CONTACTS:
Costco Wholesale Corporation
Richard Galanti, 425/313-8203
Bob Nelson, 425/313-8255
David Sherwood, 425/313-8239