This Costco Rival Is Opening Up New Locations Across the Country

There are about to be even more members-only warehouse clubs in the U.S. Last Thursday, BJ's Wholesale Club announced that it will be opening four new locations as part of the first phase of its 2022 development plans.

Three of the clubs—which will be located in Lady Lake, Fla., Canton, Mich, and Greenburgh, N.Y.—will feature the retailer's usual selection of offerings: fresh foods and produce, a full-service deli, household essentials, pet supplies, and more. The fourth, smaller club, named BJ's Market, will be located in Warwick, R.I., and function as an innovation lab for the retailer to test new assortments, displays, product demonstrations, and convenience initiatives.

For more grocery store news, check out 6 Things You'll See at Costco This Year.

"We continue to accelerate our expansion and we're excited to open these new locations," Bill Werner, executive vice president, strategy and development, BJ's Wholesale Club, said in a statement. "We're always looking for ways to bring the value and convenience of a BJ's membership to more shoppers, and extending our reach is a major way of achieving that."

Although the big-box retailer hasn't announced when the new locations will open their doors, the company expects each new BJ's Wholesale Club to create about 150 jobs, while BJ's Market is predicted to create approximately 50 jobs.

The company started the year with the launch of its Commack, N.Y. location and has opened two additional stores since then: one in Port Charlotte, Fla. and another in Lansing, Mich. The members-only warehouse chain currently operates 226 locations across the country.

Along with introducing plans for new store locations, BJ's also released the financial results of its fourth quarter, sharing that the company's gross profit increased to $797.2 million from $742.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2020. These announcements came less than two months after BJ's revealed plans to acquire four refrigerated distribution centers from Burris Logistics in an effort to strengthen its cold chain management capabilities.