Issaquah, Wash.-based Costco Wholesale Corp. is considering opening its first stores in Europe, according to Supermarket News. The company is interested in potential investment in Germany, Italy, France and Spain. Currently, Costco operates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia. It also operates stores in Taiwan and South Korea through majority-owned subsidiaries, and in Mexico via a joint venture that it is in the process of acquiring. At the end of the last fiscal year, Costco operated 163 clubs outside of the United States.
