Costco applies for liquor licence for new Casuarina site

A liquor licence application for the much-anticipated Costco Casuarina is open for public submission until the end of this month.

As part of its application lodged on January 10, Costco Wholesale Australia has proposed a 400sqm area of its Casuarina warehouse be dedicated to packaged liquor.

“This will be a discrete, sectioned-off area with its own dedicated checkout,” the report said.

Under the Liquor Control Act 1988, applicants must consider the harm or ill-health factors that their liquor licence may present to at-risk groups or communities within a 3km locality.

But the wholesale giant said in its application that at-risk groups in the area “have very limited relevance” because of the “significant fact that only Costco members may shop at Costco Wholesale”.

Costco operates on an exclusive members-only model, requiring shoppers to pay for and display a membership card before having access to the retailer and its products.

“The liquor section will not have any external presence or be otherwise noticeable to anyone,” the report said.

With construction of Costco Casuarina under way, the City of Kwinana site is set to host Australia’s 14th Costco.

The store is set to open in the second half of 2022.