It is different.arizonaguy wrote: ↑February 11th, 2025, 7:02 amThat's a different strategy than Sam's and Costco.grocerywatcher wrote: ↑February 11th, 2025, 12:55 amThey look to be at 4 stores thus far spread across the Detroit area, which seems to be in line with the store count / coverage they have in similar-sized metros across the SE (Atlanta, Miami, etc.).arizonaguy wrote: ↑February 10th, 2025, 6:11 pm
How have they done in the other markets that they've recently expanded to such as Michigan?
It seems like they have a WinCo like strategy to expansion where they expand to multiple locations at the same time and then wait a while to see if the market materializes.
I'm pretty sure Costco has 11 locations (counting Ann Arbor but excluding Flint) and Sam's has 9 locations in Metro Detroit (again counting Ann Arbor but excluding flint).
BJ's probably will never pass Costco or Sam's in store count in any of these new markets.
Outside the NE, it seems they're not necessarily vying for domination in new markets. Rather, they're seeking just enough of a presence to operate profitably, as well as exploit the holes in Costco / Sam's Club footprint.
Apparently, that has been working for them (slow and steady can win the race in some instances)