To the Editor:
1) Costco would not put a store with less than 35 miles from another Costco
2) The demographics in Ocala are not conducive for a Costco
3) The per capita income is not what Costco is looking for
4) To put in a Costco store requires a Company investment of over 100 million dollars
5) The Costco store in the Villages will be available to fulfill Ocala residents
The location chosen by Costco in The Villages remains untouched; I guess planning and permits are working with the County (Sumter) and The Villages.
I was involved in the food business for over 50 years and made decisions on where stores could be located based on the demographics of the area (Costco looks at 25-mile demographics).
Look at BJ’s, they chose a location in Lady Lake, again, because of the area demographics that better suited them.
By the way, they spend over 100 million dollars at that location.
I understand that the Ocala problem is a Sam’s location that is hard to work with; perhaps the letters should go to Walmart Sam’s Club division, to improve that location by adding more pumps and a better entrance to their location.
Pedro Carrasco
Summerfield