Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST)

Costco Wholesale Corp. operates membership warehouses based on the concept that offering members low prices on a limited selection of nationally branded and select private-label products in a wide range of merchandise categories. It operates warehouses in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia and through majority-owned subsidiaries in Taiwan and Korea, and its Costco Mexico joint venture. The warehouses are designed to help small-to-medium-sized businesses to reduce costs in purchasing for resale and for everyday business use. Costco's warehouses present exclusive product category selections to be found under a single roof, which include groceries, candy, appliances, television and media, automotive supplies, toys, hardware, sporting goods, jewelry, watches, cameras, books, apparel, health and beauty aids, tobacco, furniture, office supplies and office equipment. It also offers private label Kirkland Signature products, which include juices, cookies, coffee, tires, housewares, luggage, appliances, clothing and detergent. The company also operates self-service gasoline stations at a number of its U.S. and Canadian locations and offers three types of membership: Business, Gold Star and the Executive membership. It changed its name form Costco Cos., Inc. to Costco Wholesale Corp. on August 30, 1999. The company was founded in 1983 by James D. Sinegal and Jeffrey H. Brotman and is headquartered in Issaquah, WA.