The wait is almost over for residents, as the new Costco is set to open in east Regina on Nov. 2.
Regina residents can expect a better experience when the doors open Friday morning, as the building is close to 30,000 square feet larger than the former location and will have 863 parking stalls.
“Members have been waiting for this for a good 10 years I would think. The other building was open for 25 years and it’s definitely outgrown that location – it took us a while to find the right site, but we got it now,” said general manager of Costco Regina Kevin Vanstone.
The new Costco will also include a gas bar – double the size of the former gas station at the old location.
“At the old site we had 12 pumps – this one is going to have 24 – so it should lessen the lineups and the time it takes,” Vanstone said.
Vanstone said making the customer experience more efficient was at the top of the list when building the new store.
“It was a tough place to shop at on a busy day,” Vanstone said.
“It was pretty tough to access off Victoria Avenue – we would get pretty lined up at times. Sometimes, it would take a couple of lights to get in.”
The store will carry close to 300 new items – everything from Prada bags to the addition of chicken wings in the food court.
Something Vanstone said the company was proud of, is the larger number of employees.
“We’ve added about 100 new employees to our location. It’s very rewarding for all us and there are great opportunities for our employees here as well,” Vanstone said.
The doors open at 8 a.m. Friday morning, and Vanstone said he expects it to be “extremely busy.”