Costco grocery superstore will be the size of two rugby fields
Costco has been given the green light to build its first store in New Zealand that will cover nearly two rugby fields and cost $100 million.
Auckland Council has approved the resource consent applications for the three-storey building at Westgate.
Costco, the second largest retailer in the world after fellow United States giant Walmart, announced plans to build its first New Zealand grocery warehouse last June.
In April, the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) approved Costco's $23.2m purchase of land in Westgate, next to the existing shopping centre.
In its OIO application Costco said it would spend over $100m on the development of the three-level mega store, due to open in 2021.
Resource consent documents reveal the scale of the store at 67 Maki St.
Most of the store's 795 car parks will be on the top two levels, a departure from traditional Costco formats where parking is at ground level.
Once open, the store will be open between 10am and 8.30pm, seven days a week.
Inside the store will resemble a grocery warehouse, with pallets and basic shelving.
The store will offer the chain's full format including a Costco fuel station, tyre centre, food court, optometrist, hearing aid services along with groceries and homewares.
An Auckland Council spokeswoman said the resource consent applications had been approved, one for the store and the other for fuel station.
"Both consents were approved on a non-notified basis."
As part of the Westgate mall development, the greenfield site already had resource consent for a large format retail development and the roading infrastructure was constructed to accommodate it, according to the resource consent application.
Retail Property Group general manager Campbell Barbour said earlier this month that the expected development cost was a lot of money for one store but he believed it would appeal to New Zealanders.
"It's a big number. To put it in perspective, a very large Pak 'n Save or a Bunnings or Mitre 10, they are perhaps $30m to $40m developments. This is definitely bigger."
Barbour said he expected construction of the store to begin in October.
"At the end of the day it is one store but they are the second largest retailer in the world," he said.
"When you have businesses of this size coming and setting up shop here, it reinforces where we are getting to, we are getting what everyone else has had for a while."
Article Supplied By Stuff
Reporter: Debrin Foxcroft
debrin.foxcroft@stuff.co.nz