ISSAQUAH, WA -- (MARKETWIRE) -- 02/07/13 -- Costco Wholesale Corporation ("Costco" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: COST) today reported net sales of $9.35 billion for the month of January, the five weeks ended February 3, 2013, an increase of seven percent from $8.74 billion during the similar period last year. This year's period contained one less day compared to last year, due to the timing of the New Year's holiday, which negatively impacted total and comparable sales by approximately 2%.

For the first twenty-two weeks of its fiscal year ended February 3, 2013, the Company reported net sales of $43.77 billion, an increase of nine percent from $40.18 billion during the similar period last year.

Comparable sales for the five-week and 22-week periods ended February 3, 2013, were as follows:

Changes in gasoline prices had a slightly negative impact for the five-week period and a slightly positive impact for the 22-week period. Stronger foreign currencies had a positive impact for both periods. Excluding these effects, comparable sales were as follows:

Additional discussion of these results is available in a pre-recorded telephone message. The recording can be accessed by dialing 1-855-859-2056 (conference ID 73977640). This message will be available today through 5:00 p.m. (PT) on Friday, February 8, 2013.

On March 12, 2013, the Company plans to report its operating results for the second quarter and first half of fiscal year 2013, ending February 17, 2013. A conference call to discuss these results is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. (PT) that day and will be available via web-cast on www.costco.com (click on Investor Relations and "Play webcast"). Also, the Company plans to announce its sales results for the four-week month of February on March 7, 2013.

Costco currently operates 622 warehouses, including 448 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 85 in Canada, 32 in Mexico, 23 in the United Kingdom, 13 in Japan, nine in Taiwan, nine in Korea and three in Australia. The Company plans to open up to an additional fourteen new warehouses prior to the end of its fiscal year on September 1, 2013. Costco also operates electronic commerce web sites, at www.costco.com (U.S.), www.costco.ca (Canada), and www.costco.co.uk (United Kingdom).

Certain statements contained in this document and the pre-recorded telephone message constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For these purposes, forward-looking statements are statements that address activities, events, conditions or developments that the Company expects or anticipates may occur in the future. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events, results or performance to differ materially from those indicated by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, domestic and international economic conditions, including exchange rates, the effects of competition and regulation, uncertainties in the financial markets, consumer and small business spending patterns and debt levels, conditions affecting the acquisition, development, ownership or use of real estate, actions of vendors, rising costs associated with employees (including health care costs), energy, and certain commodities, geopolitical conditions and other risks identified from time to time in the Company's public statements and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CONTACTS:
Costco Wholesale Corporation
Richard Galanti
425/313-8203
Bob Nelson
425/313-8255
Jeff Elliott
425/313-8264