The Costco special dividend 2026 — a $12 per share payment announced on December 17, 2025 and delivered to shareholders on January 16, 2026, totaling approximately $5.3 billion in cash distributed in a single transaction — is one of the most revealing financial events in recent American retail history. Not because the dividend itself is surprising — Costco has paid six special dividends since 2013, including a $15 per share payment in January 2024 — but because of the specifi

There is a number that every brand pursuing the Costco channel in 2026 needs to understand as a strategic asset rather than a financial headline: $6.5 billion. That is the total capital investment Costco Wholesale has committed to its fiscal year 2026 expansion strategy — new warehouse construction, depot network development, existing warehouse remodels, and digital infrastructure upgrades — all in a single fiscal year. Paired with plans to open approximately 28 new warehouse

Most brands pursuing a Costco Roadshow think of Costco as an American story. And it is — the United States remains by far the company's largest single market, with 634 of its 924 warehouses operating domestically and generating the lion's share of its $270 billion in annual revenue. But in 2026, the Costco story is increasingly and decisively becoming a global story. And for brands that understand the full scope of what Costco's international expansion 2026 represents, the im

There is a number that every brand founder, CPG operator, and roadshow vendor needs to bookmark right now: $6.5 billion. That is the total capital investment Costco Wholesale has committed to its fiscal year 2026 expansion strategy — a sprawling, ambitious deployment of resources earmarked specifically for new warehouse construction, depot network expansion, existing warehouse remodels, and digital infrastructure upgrades. Paired with plans to open approximately 28 new wareho

There is no audience in all of retail quite like a Costco member. Not Amazon Prime subscribers. Not Walmart+ members. Not loyalty program cardholders at any grocery chain in the country. The Costco member is a fundamentally different kind of shopper — more committed, more engaged, more purchase-ready, and more valuable to the brands that earn their attention than any other consumer segment in retail today. And in 2026, Costco member loyalty is not just holding strong — it is

Let's start with a number that should stop every brand owner in their tracks: $90 billion. That is how much Kirkland Signature — Costco's private label brand — generated in sales in 2025 alone. According to a report given at Costco's 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the Kirkland Signature brand brought in about $90 billion in sales in 2025 — more than a $15 billion increase compared to Kirkland Signature sales in 2024. Julee Ho Media Let that sink in. A single private lab

When a retailer posts nearly $70 billion in revenue in a single quarter — during a period of economic uncertainty, rising tariffs, and shifting consumer behavior — the rest of the retail world takes notice. And every brand owner who has been sitting on the fence about pursuing the Costco channel should be sitting up straight right now. Costco's Q2 2026 sales results are not just impressive. They are a signal. A loud, unmistakable signal that this channel is not slowing down,

If you have been waiting for the right moment to get serious about the Costco channel, that moment is right now. And we mean that literally — because Costco just announced one of its most aggressive retail expansion plans in company history, and the window of opportunity it creates for brands ready to move is enormous. Costco is planning a total of 35 new locations in fiscal year 2026, which ends in August 2026 — up from 24 net-new warehouse stores the previous fiscal year. P