Hackensack—It’s true, COSTCO is moving. With rumors abounding throughout the community and many customers letting their memberships lapse, Regional Vice President Paul Pulver told JLNJ that their loyal and appreciated clientele need not worry and should keep those memberships current and renew the lapsing ones.
“We are moving to Teterboro, which is a few miles away (about three miles from the present location) to the corner of Route 46 and Industrial Avenue near the Teterboro airport just about where Route 46 and Route 17 intersect.”
Pulver said they are moving to a much larger location. The warehouse will be about 148,000 sq. ft., which is approximately 25,000 sq.ft. larger than the warehouse in Hackensack, which even at 124,000 sq. ft. gets crowded and difficult to navigate, especially on weekends and holidays.
The new location will offer more than just a larger space to navigate. “We’ll have all the same services we currently have although we’ll have a bigger selection. We’ll be able to expand our offerings in all departments including the kosher meats, the kosher deli and the kosher bakery.”
Aside from having all the same kosher products that they now offer, Pulver said, “We’ll be expanding the kosher selection in our prepared foods area as well. Everything that we now offer will be available there. Nothing is going to change except it will be bigger and better,” he said.
Pulver explained that at the present location they are not able to expand the building and offer certain additional services like gasoline, which they will be able to offer in the new location. There will also be a bigger parking lot.
“We’ll be offering everything that we hope will make it a lot easier shopping experience. The only thing, I guess, is it’s a little further.” Looking at a map of the area, for customers who don’t drive, the
Pascack Valley line already has a bus stop at the corner of Route 17 and Route 46. Even with their proximity to the busy commuter airport, Pulver said he expects big things but no problems.
Pulver said that aside from the kosher food offerings, they will able to expand in every department because of more space.
As to the land and building they currently occupy, no final decisions have been made but Pulver said that COSTCO does not intend to sell the property.
Pulver said they intend to open at the new location in mid-October. “Once we get a little closer to the opening and its official, we’ll put out announcements in the warehouse.”
Asked what people should do with their memberships if they are near their expiration, Pulver said, “My anticipation is that everyone would continue to renew their membership.”
He said the day the Hackensack store closes, the new location will open. It should be a transparent process for every member, he said.
“We’ve done this in many places when we feel we have a location that has just become too small and we’ve outgrown it.” One such instance in is Wayne, NJ, which Pulver said was extremely successful. “I remember the customers were very happy with the new location.”
As to other services that are offered, currently the Hackensack location has all the services offered by COSTCOs around the country: a food court, pharmacy, tire center, hearing aids and an optical department. The new location will provide all these services with the added bonus of having a gas station.
The new building will look just about the same as the present building and should be easy to find on a map or just by driving by.
“As it gets closer to the opening (about 12 weeks out from the change) we’ll send out all the information and also put signs up in the current building showing an artist rendering of the new building, the address, and when it’s opening.
“We’re actually very excited because I think the current location is just too small for the volume that we’re doing and we don’t have the space to present the products the way we want to do it,” Pulver said.
By Anne Phyllis Pinzow
