Image | WBJ Source: Earnest Research
BJ's Wholesale Club sales, excluding gasoline, have spiked during the coronavirus pandemic.
May 15, 2020
Data shows BJ's spike in business during pandemic
Photo | Grant Welker
BJ's Wholesale Club headquarters in Westborough. The company announced it's opening four new locations over the next few months.
By Grant Welker
Sales at BJ's Wholesale Club doubled at one point early in the coronavirus pandemic as part of a rush of business to warehouse clubs, according to an industry tracker.
BJ's saw sales jump 25% at the start of March and only rise from there, according to findings by Earnest Research, a New York data analytics firm tracking metrics at thousands of companies. Sales peaked at more than double its mark of a year prior in the week ending March 18.
Sales have stayed high since, including through a 29% year-over-year increase in the week ending April 29, Earnest's data shows.
Revenue has also spiked, though to a lesser degree, at a main warehouse rival: Costco, based in Washington. Costco's sales peaked in the same week as BJ's but at 53% higher than last year's numbers.
Warehouse clubs have seen brisk business at a time when other retailers have been forced to close entirely for the time being or as customers have stayed away. Retail sales nationally in April fell by 16.4%, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Friday. That followed an 8.3% drop in March.
April sales numbers weren't available for warehouse clubs, but grocery stores, which share similar basic-necessity offerings, saw sales rise 13.4%. It was the only major retail sector to see sales rise for the month other than online stores.
BJ's is scheduled to release its first-quarter finances on Thursday.
WBJ Web Partners
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