Costco Wholesale Corp.

New Orleans -- Costco Wholesale Corp. will enter the state of Louisiana with a 148,000-sq.-ft. store at Carrollton Plaza Shopping Center in New Orleans.

The new lease, announced by center owner The Feil Organization, will add Costco to a lineup of retailers that includes CVS, Firestone, Family Dollar and Subway.

Costco is slated to open spring 2013.

Same-store sales at Costco’s U.S. stores increased 5% during the four week period ended May 27.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Costco reported net sales of $21.85 billion for the third quarter, an 8% increase over sales of $20.19 billion for the same period last year. Comparable-club sales for the quarter increased 5%, which consisted of a 5% increase in the United States and a 5% increase internationally. Excluding the impact of fuel, total comps were still up 5%, however U.S. comps were 4% and international comps were 8% when adjusted for gasoline inflation.

Issaquah, Wash. -- Costco Wholesale Corp. reported Thursday that net income for the quarter ended May 6 surged 19% to $386 million, from $324 million in the same period last year.

Revenue rose 8% to $22.3 billion from $20.6 billion, beating Wall Street’s expected $22.1 billion in revenue. Same-store sales increased 5%.

The company said it plans to open six additional warehouse clubs before the end of fiscal 2012.
 

Target may be investing in expanding its offering of fresh food under its PFresh remodeling initiative, but it has a long way to go before it is considered a top grocery destination, at least according to a survey from Market Force Information.

Boulder, Colo. — Giant-Landover and ShopRite are shoppers' two favorite supermarkets, according to results of a survey released Tuesday.

Woodbridge, Va. -- Indianapolis-based The Mills, a Simon Property Group company, said that Potomac Mills, the largest outlet and value retail shopping destination in Virginia, will soon expand its footprint with the addition of an exterior transformation and two new restaurants: The Cheesecake Factory and Bobby’s Burger Palace.

The project also includes the relocation of Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th and the introduction of Buybuy Baby and Christmas Tree Shops.

Indianapolis -- Simon Property Group announced that Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th will open a total of seven new stores in the next two years in its Premium Outlets division, including new centers and existing centers.