Quote:
Originally Posted by esquire
It's interesting that Costco's main competitors in the US, Sam's Club and BJ's, never established themselves in Canada and let Costco have the entire market to themselves.
I remember back in the 2000s there were rumours about Sam's Club's impending arrival in Canada but it never happened. Maybe I should be grateful since it probably prevented a new wave of power centres across the country anchored by Sam's Club locations...
|
Sam's did come to Canada. They didn't last very long. I recall they were building their store in north London at the same time Costco was building their new store in north London, and the contractors I knew said there was money it for them if Sam's managed to beat Costco to the opening date. They did open within days of each other, but the Costco I think was in a better location. If I recall, Sam's had 6 locations before Walmart pulled the plug on it, not sure why they gave up so easily. The other location I know of personally was on Queensway in Toronto just east of the 427, which is now Lowe's. Lowe's also is in the former London Sam's. It might be that Lowe's took over all 6, I can't recall.
Edited to add; they lasted longer than I thought. They first started opening in 2003 and they all closed in 2009. 4 of them were in the Toronto area, as well as London and Cambridge. Another 2 under construction became Walmart Supercentres. 5 of the 6 closed became Lowe's.