Costco Comps Climb 9% in January

Costco Wholesale Corporation net sales were $4.12 billion for the month of January, an increase of 12% from $3.67 billion in the prior fiscal year. January comparable store sales increased 9%.

For the first twenty-two weeks of its fiscal year ended January 29, 2006, the Company reported net sales of $24.34 billion, an increase of 11% from $21.84 billion during the similar 22-week period of the prior fiscal year.

Comparable sales for the 4-week and 22-week periods ended January 29, 2006, were as follows:

                          4 Weeks        22 Weeks
                        ------------  --------------
        US                   8%             8%
        International       11%             9%

        Total Company        9%             8%
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Costco currently operates 471 warehouses, including 346 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 66 in Canada, 17 in the United Kingdom, five in Korea, four in Taiwan, five in Japan and 28 in Mexico. The Company also operates Costco Online, an electronic commerce web site