Countdown is on for Costco store opening on Friday

The wait is almost over.

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The clock is ticking down to the sliding doors open at the store thousands of Brantford shoppers have eagerly anticipated for 20 years.

Costco will officially open to the public at 7 am on Friday.

Local politicians from Brantford, Brant, Six Nations of the Grand River, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and members of the media will gather with Costco senior managers for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6:30 am on Friday “to mark the opening and hear first-hand about all the new warehouse has to offer,” said a news release issued this week.

The 150,000-square-foot warehouse at 174 Roy Blvd. next to the Lynden Park Mall will include the store’s typical offerings, including a bakery, fresh meat and produce sections, a food court, tire service center, pharmacy, optical department and a hearing aid service. It is the first Costco in Ontario to have a sushi department.

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The store has more than 800 parking spaces and 24 gas pumps, which opened last month. It will carry a range of beer, wine, champagne and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages.

Residents received a flyer this week touting exclusive celebratory deals on everything from paper towels to TVs.

For several months, booths have been set up at local events urging people to buy store memberships.

The Brantford store has about 180 permanent employees and, according to the news release, will provide 80 seasonal jobs. While most hires begin as part time, a source earlier told The Expositor most people get a chance to go full time within the first year. The stores, he said, generally have about 50 per cent of workers in full-time roles.

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The arrival of Costco in the city has been discussed for two decades. In 2015, Brantford was finally on a list of potential store sites. The original plan was to build on a plot of land on Morton Avenue and Wayne Gretzky Parkway but that was stalled over high-traffic concerns.

Four years ago, the Ministry of Transportation finally backed the plans for the site beside the mall. Those plans were revised and then re-revised prior to the completion of infrastructure work to service the property between the mall and highway, and to widen roads into the mall.

Finally, despite repeated refusals from Costco Canada to confirm the project, the city issued a building permit on the last day of March 2023 for a $33.5-million project confirmed to be Costco.

—With files from Susan Gamble

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