A rendering of a proposed Costco warehouse store on Chenal Parkway in west Little Rock.
Costco announced on its website this week that its first store in Arkansas, announced in April 2020, will finally open at 16901 Chenal Parkway in Little Rock at 10 a.m. July 21.
The publicly traded retailer headquartered in Issaquah, Washington, has been developing for months a 165,000-SF warehouse store on 32 acres at the southwest corner of Chenal Parkway and Kirk Road in west Little Rock.
The retailer bought the site of the new store for $12.6 million. The combined cost for site improvements and building its warehouse and fuel center total $23.2 million, Arkansas Business reported in October.
The store is expected to employ between 200 and 250 full- and part-time workers. Starting pay is $16 per hour.
“As we watch the final construction take place and landscaping … It gives you even more reason to be excited about the grand opening and not only having Costco join the retail community here for Little Rock and central Arkansas but also the fact that it will be a draw for people from all around the region and beyond to come and shop in Little Rock,” Jay Chesshir, president and CEO of the Little Rock Regional Chamber, told Arkansas Business on Thursday. “That’s good for everyone.”
He also said the chamber worked with the company to make sure construction went “as smooth as possible” and was pleased that the unprecendented pandemic did not affect its timeline for opening the store.
In addition, Costco is offering $20 or $40 store gift cards to individuals who sign up for a new $60 gold star membership or $120 executive membership, respectively, and enroll in auto-renewal. The retailer also offers $60 business and $120 business executive memberships.
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