Retail giant Costco is opening its second Queensland warehouse in Ipswich – which will be the equivalent in size to two football fields and create up to 280 new jobs.
Ipswich Mayor Cr Andrew Antoniolli has confirmed the new Costco premises will be at Bundamba.
“This is fantastic news for the region and couldn’t have come at a better time. It shows significant commitment to Ipswich and investment in our future growth,” he said.
Planning and development applications were lodged with Council last week to develop a 6.5 hectare site at Ashburn Road, Bundamba, which is within Stage 1 of the Citiswich Industrial Estate.
Cr Antoniolli said the proposal involved the construction of a wholesale warehouse, including a tyre centre, optical centre, hearing aid centre and food court, with approximately 13,750 sq/m of floor area.
There would also be a 24-bowser Costco fuel station on site and 825 car parking spaces.
“This is a major development and we are delighted that Costco has decided to make Ipswich its second home, after opening its first mega store and petrol station in North Lakes,” Cr Antoniolli said.
“It will be in an ideal location to service the Ipswich region and, in fact, the entire area west of Brisbane. It will bring thousands of people to Ipswich every day and the direct and indirect benefits to the city will be enormous.”
Costco confirmed the Bundamba warehouse will stock hundreds of the best-known brands at low prices.
“We will have the highest quality products at the best possible price in all departments, from fresh food, electronics, clothing to cleaning supplies,” said Managing Director Patrick Noone.
“We are thrilled to be continuing our investment in South East Queensland with this new location in Ipswich.
“We have been trading in North Lakes since 2014 with great success and are excited to be bringing Costco to a dynamic, ever growing region.
“We will continue to actively engage with our Queensland based suppliers, look to recruit over 280 staff from the local area and bring great prices in relation to a wide range of products and services.”
The Costco store will offer two types of membership: Business ($55) and Gold Star ($60).
Business members qualify by owning or operating a business while Gold Star membership is available to individuals. Members can join online or in store. It will be open seven days a week.
Site preparation works at Walker Corporation’s $1 billion Citiswich Business Park will commence immediately with Costco’s construction program scheduled for a 2018 store opening.
Queensland General Manager for Walker Corporation Peter Saba said: “We are seeing international, national and local businesses recognising the strategic location of Citiswich for their customers and operations.”
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