Costco Wholesale says it opened its fifth Business Centre store in Ontario, just north of Toronto, in East Gwillimbury, as it looks to grow the new concept across the country.
The new store, which differs from Costco warehouse stores for consumers, "will better respond to the needs of local business owners,” said Marc-André Bally, Costco’s senior vice president of Western Canada and its Business Centres segment, in a statement.
“The Costco Business Centre concept is already a resounding success in other parts of the country, and we look forward to offering the same benefits to businesses in East Gwillimbury and surrounding areas, which we also hope will bring many new consumers to discover the benefits of a Costco membership," Bally said.
The 137,000-square-foot facility at 18182 Yonge St. is the recently converted site of the original Costco Newmarket, which relocated to a larger store at 107 Harry Walker Parkway South.
The opening of Costco Business Centre is expected to create 240 local jobs. The new business-focused concept is part of Costco's national expansion plan, "with additional Costco Business Centre locations planned to open across Canada in the near future," the company said.
The Business Centre differs from traditional Costco warehouses in that over 70% of its products are targeted to serve local businesses of all sizes. This latest location, equipped with a 12-pump gas station, has more than 3,000 items for restaurants, convenience and grocery stores, including bulk food and commercial kitchen wares, as well as other business supplies such as office furniture.
The facility is designed with a large cooler that measures nearly 9,500-square-feet and an indoor loading area in addition to its own eight-truck delivery fleet. The Costco Business Centre gives customers the option of next-day delivery if they’re within a designated delivery zone that extends across the city, the company said.
Costco Wholesale operates 931 warehouses worldwide and 114 warehouses across Canada. The first Canadian Costco Wholesale location opened in Burnaby, British Columbia, in October 1985.
The Business Centre follows Costco’s purchase this fall of a land plot in Laval, Quebec, which had been previously earmarked for a Guzzo cinema.
The transaction, valued at $22.8 million, saw Costco acquire a property in excess of 900,000 square feet after Guzzo filed for bankruptcy earlier in 2025.