Costco bids goodbye to Pepsi as stores begin offering Coca-Cola beverages
Costco's switch from Pepsi to Coca-Cola drinks at its food courts is now underway.
The change at Costco’s food courts began rolling out across all Costco warehouses on July 1, the Coca-Cola Company said in a July 21 statement to Paste BN, adding all Costco’s food courts will receive traditional fountain units and that the transition is expected to be completed by fall.
"Costco’s legendary hot dog combo just got an ice-cold Coca-Cola upgrade," the company said in its statement. "Costco insiders and Coca-Cola fans are buzzing about the transition, which will span warehouses in 14 countries, allowing Costco members everywhere to once again enjoy their favorite Coca-Cola beverages alongside Costco’s beloved food court offerings."
While Costco did not immediately respond to Paste BN's request for comment, Costco Canada, in a social media post, announced that "Coca-Cola has officially joined the drink lineup at Costco food courts across Canada."
Costco announced switch from Pepsi in January
Ron Vachris, CEO of the warehouse retail giant, announced in January that Costco would switch its food court fountains to Coca-Cola products during the company's shareholder meeting on January 23, Paste BN previously reported.
The company previously switched from Coca-Cola to Pepsi products in 2013 to maintain the price of its tentpole $1.50 hot dog combo, according to CNN.
Costco set to open four new US locations
Costco currently operates 908 warehouses worldwide, 625 of which are located in the U.S.
The retailer is set to open seven new locations globally in August, including four in the U.S, Paste BN previously reported.
The next wave of stores comes on the heels of three new openings in South Korea, Sweden and Midland, Texas, in June and July, as well as a handful of new stores that opened in the U.S. this spring.
This story was updated to add more information and a new video.
Contributing: James Powel, Mike Snider, Fernando Cervantes Jr. / Paste BN
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.