It's Official... Shanghai Will Soon Be Home to 2nd Costco

This article originally appeared on our sister account, Urban Family Shanghai.

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On Wednesday, Costco announced that they are all set to open their second store in China, Xinhua reports. 

The new location will also be located in Shanghai. On Tuesday, the American wholesale giant purchased a 47,319-square-meter space in Pudong New Area for RMB898 million (USD128 million). 

After months of anticipation, Costco officially opened the doors to their first-ever China location in Shangahi's Minhang district in August of last year. 

Costco proved to be so popular, the store was forced to close up shop around 2pm on opening day based on the sheer number of shoppers who flocked to the store.  

READ MORE: Chinas First Costco Closes On Opening Day Due to Massive Crowds

The Minhang branch currently attracts roughly 11,000 visitors every day. Before the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the store saw 16,000 shoppers a day. 

Image via The Paper

Costco came under fire last week after photos showing thousands of shoppers including many unmasked customers circulated on Weibo. Shanghai authorities proceeded to issue a warning to the chain on Saturday, demanding that the number of visitors be limited to 1,000 at a time. Additional customers must now wait in line outside of the store.

Costco has since implemented more safety measures. Customers are asked to wear masks and have their temperatures taken before they enter the store. Business hours have also been shortened to cut down on crowds. The store now closes at 7pm, instead of 9.30pm. Popular items including croissants and roasted chicken are no longer offered to deter people from flocking to the store. Additionally, customers have also been ordered to maintain a distance of one meter from other shoppers while standing in line. 

Costco has yet to announce when the new store will open, but we'll keep you updated as we learn more. 

[Cover image via Mike Mozart/Flickr]

This article was originally published by our sister magazine Urban Family Shanghai. For more articles like this, visit the Urban Family website, or follow the Urban Family WeChat account (ID: urbanfamilyshanghai).

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