Costco opens new Sydney outlet and vows to develop online as Amazon entry looms

International wholesale giant Costco has just opened its ninth site in Australia as it vows to take on Amazon when it arrives in the country.

Based in Sydney’s relatively new Marsden Park, Costco’s new outlet will be complemented by investment into the company’s online sales arm.

While Amazon may not compete in terms of physical store presence, the danger of it swallowing enormous amounts of business through the web is forcing Australia’s retail and wholesale traders to up their online games.

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The new store in Sydney Business Park, in the northwest of the city, measures at 13,575sqm, the largest plot in the 256-hectare commercial estate.

Amazon is expected to cause huge disruption to the way consumers and businesses operate in Australia. While it is likely to take business away from other large, more traditional sellers, some commentators point to the opening up of opportunities for smaller merchants to prosper.

Many small and mid-sized businesses use Amazon as a portal to sell and distribute their goods, and the US company’s imminent arrival is likely to be welcomed by those companies without the means to reach and distribute to such wide audiences.