ISSAQUAH, WA, Dec 01, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --
Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ: COST) today reported net sales
of $7.51 billion for the month of November, the four weeks ended
November 27, 2011, an increase of 11 percent from $6.78 billion
during the similar four-week period last year.
For the first thirteen weeks of its reporting period ended November
27, 2011, the Company reported net sales of $23.13 billion, an
increase of 12 percent from $20.59 billion during the similar period
last year.
Comparable sales for the four-week and thirteen-week periods ended
November 27, 2011:
4 Weeks 13 Weeks
---------- ----------
U.S. 9% 10%
International 9% 10%
Total Company 9% 10%
========== ==========
Inflation in gasoline prices had a positive impact on comparable
sales; foreign currencies had a slightly negative impact for the
four-week period, and a slightly positive impact for the
thirteen-week period. Excluding these effects, comparable sales for
the four-week and thirteen-week periods were as follows:
4 Weeks 13 Weeks
---------- ----------
U.S. 6% 7%
International 11% 10%
Total Company 7% 7%
========== ==========
Additional discussion of these sales results is available in a
pre-recorded telephone message. You can access the recording by
dialing 1-800-642-1687 (conference ID 25104304). This message will be
available today through 5:00 p.m. (PT) on Friday, December 2, 2011.
The Company plans to release its operating results for the first
quarter (12 weeks) of its 2012 fiscal year ended November 20, 2011 on
Thursday, December 8, 2011. A conference call to discuss these
results is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. (PT) that day and will be
available via webcast on www.costco.com.
Costco currently operates 596 warehouses, including 433 in the United
States and Puerto Rico, 82 in Canada, 32 in Mexico, 22 in the United
Kingdom, nine in Japan, eight in Taiwan, seven in Korea and three in
Australia. The Company also operates Costco Online, an electronic
commerce web site, at www.costco.com and at www.costco.ca in Canada.
The Company plans to open two additional warehouses in Japan prior to
the end of calendar year 2011.
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, conditions
affecting the acquisition, development, ownership or use of real
estate, actions of vendors, rising costs associated with employees
(including health care costs), energy, and certain commodities,
geopolitical conditions and other risks identified from time to time
in the Company's public statements and reports filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
CONTACTS:
Costco Wholesale Corporation
Richard Galanti
425/313-8203
Bob Nelson
425/313-8255
Jeff Elliott
425/313-8264
SOURCE: Costco
