- Costco operates members only warehouse clubs in the US, Canada, Mexico and south-east Asia, serving trade and private customers who pay an annual membership fee. - Costco entered the UK in 1992, and claims to have been "solidly profitable" here for the past four years. - UK clubs offer two grades of membership: traders pay £23.50 and private members pay £29.37. - The Magna Park depot opened on August 28 and operates from 5am to 3.30pm five days a week. There are 67 staff. - Freight is subcontracted to Norbert Dentressangle, Allen Monroe and Turner's of Soham. - More than 95% of the goods on sale are branded, with about a 50:50 split between food and non food. - About 60% of the business is distributed centrally through Magna Park, with large vendors such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi and small suppliers of high value items preferring to deliver direct to the warehouse clubs. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}

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