Costco opens 2014 with January sales increase

Costco reported net sales of $8 billion for the four weeks ended Feb. 2, representing an increase of 6% from the similar four-week period last year.



Comparable store sales across Costco's U.S. store base were up 5%.



For the 22 weeks ended Feb. 2, Costco reported net sales of $46.3 billion, representing a similar increase of 6% versus the year-ago period.



The company plans to release its operating results for the second quarter Thursday, March 6.



Costco currently operates 649 warehouses, including 462 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 87 in Canada, 33 in Mexico, 25 in the United Kingdom, 18 in Japan, 10 in Taiwan, 9 in Korea and 5 in Australia. Costco also operates e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and Mexico.