Costco Files Plans for $50m Melbourne Outlet

Costco has filed amended plans for its planned fifth outlet in Victoria.

Costco first filed the Group GSA-designed plans for the outlet project at 740 Ballarat Road, Ardeer with the City of Brimbank Council in May.

It has now filed a minor amendment to the plans to include a reference to alterations to the transport zone in the planning permit report.

Two other stores are also planned in the state, another in Melbourne and one in Geelong.

The May plans indicated the cost of each of the new stores would be $50 million, however, plans for the Ardeer store project a cost of $62.8 million. 

The store will cover 14,252sq m of warehouse space plus a 4300sq m, 18-pump petrol service station, 745 carparking spaces with 18 accessible spaces and 20 bicycle parking spaces.

The building will be 9.35m to its parapet, giving it a low profile.

There is also be an optical centre, a hearing aids centre and a tyre centre proposed for the 5.24ha site.

▲ Costco's plans for the Ballarat Road site will also include an 18-bowser petrol service station.

The site is next to the Western Ring Road, Albion train station and the Sunbury train line, and within the Sunshine National Employment and Innovation Cluster.

It is also close to the Holt Street local activity centre and the Sunshine Hospital.

Costco Warehouse Australia managing director Patrick Noone said the site’s proximity to road and rail networks, and residential areas was key to the choice of location.

“We feel it is the perfect location for us, offering convenience for our rapidly expanding membership in this area,” he said.

“We look forward to being an integral part of the growth in west Melbourne.”

Noone said the other Melbourne store is currently in the planning process awaiting state government approval. It is reportedly part of the 92ha Kaduna Business Park development in Officer South, in Melbourne’s outer south-east.

Costco currently has four stores open in Melbourne at Epping, Moorabbin,  Ringwood and  Docklands. It has had a presence in Victoria since 2009.

Costco has 13 stores across Australia and has announced it plans to raise that 20 with Aigle Royal developing the 14th store, in Casuarina in South Perth, which is set to open in November.

It will open its 15th Costco in Coomera on the Gold Coast in the first half of 2023.

Noone also said that Costco was keen to open stores in Hobart, north Sydney, south Sydney, north Perth and south Adelaide.

“Those are kind of the hotspots that we’re trawling through all the time looking for good sites,” he said.