Costco Wholesale has confirmed its new Lloydminster warehouse will hold its grand opening on Nov. 19, ending years of anticipation in the border city. The store, located at 1703 75 Avenue, will be the city’s first Costco location.
The warehouse will include a pharmacy, hearing aid services and a gas station offering gas, diesel and propane. According to Larry Walper, general manager of the Lloydminster Costco, the fuel centre is the fourth in Canada to offer diesel. The fuel centre opened Oct. 14 after an earlier Oct. 6 target was missed due to technical difficulties.
From Rumour to Reality
The project was first listed in a 2023 Alberta Major Projects document describing a 160,000-square-foot warehouse on nearly 20 acres at 75 Avenue and 19 Street, with about 900 parking stalls. Site work was originally projected for 2024 with an opening in 2025.
The timeline slipped, and by October 2025 Mayor Gerald Aalbers told a meeting of the Lloydminster Concerned Citizens for Seniors Care Society that the city had approved a building plan and issued a building permit for the site, though Costco’s corporate communications said at the time it could not confirm anything for locations opening more than three months out.
That same November, the city lowered the speed limit on 12 Street and 75 Avenue from 80 to 60 km/h, citing growth, increased traffic and a need to align with provincial and municipal standards. Temporary 30 km/h construction zones remained where posted, and the city confirmed the lower permanent limits to The Border Pulse.
Sign Goes Up, Jobs Take Shape
In February 2026, a sign at the site confirmed the long-rumoured Costco was official. Aalbers followed with a statement saying a retail development of this scale had the potential to be transformative for the city, adding that it would complement local businesses and bring more regional traffic and investment.
By June, Costco management told The Border Pulse the plan was to open in November, with Walper later narrowing the target to the third week of November, the week before Black Friday.
Costco plans to open with about 300 employees, Walper said, with 71 transferring from other Canadian Costco locations. That leaves more than 200 positions to be filled locally, with a starting wage of $20 an hour. Not all new hires had been notified as of early October, according to Walper. The company also runs a program allowing college students to set their own availability, working Thursdays and Sundays while retaining seniority.
Community Contributions
Ahead of opening, Costco donated a pallet of food to the local food bank, which was shared among school district lunch programs. The company also purchased 1,000 pairs of socks for the youth centre and plans to sponsor Gatorade and granola bars for Bobcats home games.
The Nov. 19 opening falls one day before the Christmas Craft Sale at the Lloydminster Exhibition Association, scheduled for Nov. 20-22.
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