Playa del Carmen could be the next location for Costco Mexico to expand. Irapuato, Pachuca, and Reynosa are also in the companies’ sights.
The move is part of Costco’s 10- and 15-year strategic growth plan in Mexico, confirmed Mauricio Talayero, Director of Finance for Costco Mexico, during Retail Day Mexico 2025.
Background: Costco arrived in Mexico in 1992 and has 42 stores and 18 gas stations, employing more than 13,000 people.
Talayero explained that Playa del Carmen represents an emerging market with over-demand for Costco products.
For this reason, the Yucatan Peninsula is one of the priority regions in the analysis of new locations, along with cities such as Irapuato, Pachuca, Reynosa, Matamoros, and Irapuato.
“In places where a Costco isn’t suitable today because they don’t have the necessary residents or the economic capacity, they will probably have one in 10 or 15 years. We’re already evaluating it in those markets,” Talayero commented.
Talayero commented that to open a new Costco location, it’s necessary to have a market with at least half a million residents and an adequate level of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Mexico has become a key market for Costco internationally.
Between 2010 and 2020, the company doubled its sales in the country, and did so again between 2020 and 2024, consolidating its position as the company’s most profitable unit.
“We see many strengths for continued growth. It’s an extremely successful business,” Talayero emphasized.
Given this success, Costco already has advanced plans or is under evaluation in other areas of the country:
Mexico City, a new store in División del Norte.
Monterrey, where the fourth store will open.
Guadalajara, where a third store has opened.
Puebla, where a second store is planned.
Querétaro.
For Talayero, the challenge is to make the stores they have more profitable.
“I live off my members, off what they buy each year and what they carry in their carts,” he concluded.
Why is this important?
The possibility of new Costco stores in cities like Playa del Carmen and Irapuato is important because it reflects the growth in purchasing power and urban development in emerging regions of Mexico.
Furthermore, it reinforces Mexico’s role as one of the most profitable markets for the chain, which will translate into greater investment, local employment, and access to more products for consumers.
Source: lasillarota
