Marked the first of its kind in Alaska, a Costco Business Center will open in Anchorage on Friday, reports the Anchorage Daily News.
Costco has four warehouses in the state, but the new center will sell products not offered at the other locations.
The business center will serve restaurants, hotels, offices, and convenience stores, but Costco members will also be able to roam the aisles.
One exclusive feature is a statewide two-day grocery delivery via FedEx, which will help people who are facing high prices in their area or limited shopping choices. An automated box-packaging system will help drive the service. Fresh and frozen foods will not be offered in the delivery, but there will be around 450 items available.
Costco said Anchorage is one of the smallest markets that has a center, but strong sales at the other Costco warehouses in the city convinced company officials to add the special location.
The center, which at 162,000 square feet is smaller than the others in the Anchorage Costco network, will not have a food court, vision center, or tire shop, nor will it sell rotisserie chickens and hot dogs which have been go-to items for Costco.
However, pulling things like the food court will open space up for other items like beverages, snacks, and groceries.