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Costco’s first standalone gas station in the U.S. is expected to open to the public by the end of June, a spokesperson from Mission Viejo, California, the site’s location, confirmed to C-Store Dive.

The city revealed plans for the 17,000-square-foot gas station last June, noting at the time that construction would begin in the fall and finalize in spring 2026. Costco has now verbally confirmed an opening timeframe to the city, according to the spokesperson. 

Costco is also developing a standalone gas station in Hawai’i. If it finds success with this strategy, the popular big box wholesaler could become a more widespread threat to convenience retailers.

There’s no telling if Costco plans to launch a full-scale rollout of its standalone gas stations, but an expansion of these sites could pressure convenience retailers, who are unable to match the wholesaler’s competitive fuel pricing and popular membership program.

The site in Mission Viejo will undoubtedly be a testing ground for Costco, which is increasingly prioritizing fuel. The company operated 747 gas stations globally at the end of fiscal 2025 — up from 719 in 2024 — which contributed 10% of its total net sales for the year, according to its annual report.

According to city planning documents viewed by C-Store Dive last summer, the Mission Viejo gas station will feature a 17,185-square-foot canopy with 40 fueling positions and will only be accessible to Costco Warehouse members, who will need their membership info to access the pumps. It will operate from 5 a.m to 10 p.m. Sunday through Saturday and be supervised by Costco employees.

Once built, the station will compete directly with Circle K, Chevron and BP, all of which have fueling sites down the street.

In Hawai’i, Costco is building a standalone gas station in Honolulu, in a community called Kapālama Kai. Construction on the development began last October and the full development is expected to be complete in 2027. This location is expected to have 240 gas pumps, and is about a mile from a traditional Costco Wholesale store that includes a Costco gas station.

Representatives from Costco did not respond by press time when asked to comment.

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Costco to open first standalone gas station