Attention Bend Costco shoppers: Starting Saturday you’ll have to go 5 miles up U.S. Highway 97 to the store’s new location, which also features a gas station.

The new membership warehouse location is 62207 NW Costco Drive, at the corner of U.S. Highway 20 and Robal Road, and it will open at 8 a.m. Saturday. The old location on U.S. Highway 20 in east Bend will close Friday.

The new store is 17.3% larger than the original one that opened in 1993, according to the publicly traded company. The Bend store expansion is one of seven locations that will be opening by the end of the year, according to the chain’s website.

The area has experienced a significant public investment to reinforce the area as commercial hub, said Ben Hemson, economic development manager for the city of Bend.

“Private projects, like Costco, are following those public investments,” Hemson said. “These kinds of developments speak to Bend’s role as the major urban center east of the Cascades as well as the growth we’re experiencing throughout the region.”

The original location was too small to accommodate all the amenities that the newer warehouse offers, the company said in its prepared statement.

More coverage

New Costco in Bend opening date set for Oct. 19

The new store will soon employ 508 people, a significant increase over the 385 employed at the original location in Bend.

More coverage

Late start to construction at the new Bend Costco brings oepning date into question

Costco now operates 14 warehouse membership stores in Oregon, 615 in the United States and 892 worldwide. Its headquarters are in Issaquah, Washington.

Editor’s note: This article has been corrected. The original version misstated the amenities offered at the new Costco. The Bulletin regrets the error.