Costco Wholesale Corporation closed August and the full fiscal year 2026 with strong growth, driven by positive sales performance in key international markets, the strength of its U.S. operations, and the increasingly significant contribution of digital channels.
In the August trading month, the four weeks ending August 30, the group posted net sales of $23,70 billion, up 9,9% from $21,56 billion in the same period a year earlier.
The monthly figure comes amid a particularly strong fourth quarter, during which Costco achieved net sales of $93,9 billion, up 11,3% from $84,4 billion in the corresponding sixteen weeks of 2025.
For the full 52-week fiscal year ended August 30, the company's net sales rose to $297,3 billion, up 10,2% from $269,9 billion the previous year, confirming the ability of the Costco model to maintain a sustained pace of growth.
Comparable sales also showed a favorable trend, growing by 8,4% overall in August, thanks to the 9% advance achieved in the United States, the 4% increase recorded in Canada and, above all, the 9,5% growth achieved by other international markets.
Comparable sales increased 9,4% in the fourth quarter, with growth of 10,7% in the United States, 5% in Canada and 7% in other international businesses, while for the full year the overall increase was 8,4%.
Looking at the results of the individual regions over the 52 weeks, the US market recorded an increase of 8,2%, Canada closed with an increase of 7,8% and the other countries in which Costco is present achieved growth of 9,8%, proving to be the most dynamic territorially.
Even more sustained was the growth in sales enabled by digital channels, increasing by 17,9% in August alone, 19,5% in the fourth quarter, and 20,9% for the entire fiscal year, data that highlight the growing integration between the group's physical network and e-commerce platforms.
Excluding the effects of changes in fuel prices and exchange rates, the group's comparable sales grew by 5,4% in August, 6,7% in the fourth quarter and 6,6% for the full year, while the digital channel maintained increases of 17,9%, 19,8% and 20,7% respectively.
Costco also noted that the different positioning of Labor Day in the United States and Canada, which is expected to be a week later in 2026 than in the previous year, had a negative impact on total and comparable sales in August of just under 75 basis points.
The company currently has a global network of 939 warehouses, including 647 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 115 in Canada, 43 in Mexico, 37 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 20 in South Korea, 15 in Australia and 14 in Taiwan.
The international presence is completed by seven facilities in China, five in Spain, three in France, two in Sweden, and one each in Iceland and New Zealand, demonstrating a development strategy that continues to combine consolidation of the North American market with progressive geographical expansion.
This complex network of warehouses is complemented by e-commerce sites in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, and China. This digital infrastructure, in light of the growth rates recorded in 2026, confirms itself as one of the main drivers of Costco's commercial evolution.
