Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports August, Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2013 Sales Results

ISSAQUAH, WA--(Marketwired - Sep 5, 2013) - Costco Wholesale Corporation ("Costco" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: COST) today reported net sales of $7.95 billion for the month of August, the four weeks ended September 1, 2013, an increase of seven percent from $7.44 billion during the similar period last year.

For the 16-week fourth quarter, the Company reported net sales of $31.8 billion, an increase of one percent compared to net sales of $31.5 billion in the 17-week fourth quarter of fiscal year 2012, ended September 2, 2012.

For the 52-week fiscal year ended September 1, 2013, the Company reported net sales of $102.9 billion, an increase of six percent from the $97.1 billion reported in the 53-week fiscal year 2012, ended September 2, 2012.

Comparable sales were as follows:

	4 Weeks		16 Weeks		52 Weeks
U.S.	4%		5%		6%
International	2%		4%		6%
Total Company	4%		5%		6%

For the four-week period, changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange rates had a negative impact on comparable sales. For the 16-week and 52-week periods, changes in foreign exchange rates had a negative impact. Excluding these effects, comparable sales were as follows:

	4 Weeks		16 Weeks		52 Weeks
U.S.	5%		5%		6%
International	8%		7%		6%
Total Company	6%		5%		6%

Additional discussion of these results is available in a pre-recorded telephone message. The recording can be accessed by dialing 1-855-859-2056 (conference ID 73980891). This message will be available today through 5:00 p.m. (PT) on September 6, 2013.

The Company plans to release its operating results for the fourth quarter (16 weeks) and fiscal year ended September 1, 2013, on October 9, 2013. A conference call to discuss these results is scheduled for 7:00 a.m. (PT) that day and will available via webcast on www.costco.com (click on Investor Relations and "webcasts").

Costco currently operates 634 warehouses, including 451 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 85 in Canada, 33 in Mexico, 25 in the United Kingdom, 18 in Japan, 10 in Taiwan, nine in Korea and three in Australia. Costco also operates electronic commerce web sites, at www.costco.com (U.S.), www.costco.ca (Canada), and www.costco.co.uk (United Kingdom). The Company plans to open up to 15 new warehouses before the end of calendar year 2013.

Certain statements contained in this document and the pre-recorded telephone message constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For these purposes, forward-looking statements are statements that address activities, events, conditions or developments that the Company expects or anticipates may occur in the future. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events, results or performance to differ materially from those indicated by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, domestic and international economic conditions, including exchange rates, the effects of competition and regulation, uncertainties in the financial markets, consumer and small business spending patterns and debt levels, conditions affecting the acquisition, development, ownership or use of real estate, amounts expected to be spent on expansion plans, actions of vendors, rising costs associated with employees (including health care costs), energy, and certain commodities, geopolitical conditions and other risks identified from time to time in the Company's public statements and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.