BJ’s Wholesale Club is about to open in Fort Worth. Take a look inside.
BJ’s Wholesale Club is gearing up to open its first membership warehouse store in Fort Worth as part of its expansion into Texas.
The Massachusetts-based retailer that competes with Costco and Sam’s Club is opening at 7241 Harris Parkway, off Chisholm Trail Parkway at Altamesa Boulevard in south Fort Worth.
While an official opening date has not yet been announced, the company is offering a timely deal on gas April 29: $2 a gallon for BJ’s members. The deal will run from 6:30 a.m to 10 p.m, with a 30-gallon limit per customer.
BJ’s started in the 1980s with most stores centered up and down the East Coast, according to Kirk Saville, chief communications officer for BJ’s, who was in Fort Worth this week.
Today, the chain has 264 clubs and is charting a new path through Texas, with Fort Worth and three other stores opening this spring — Waxahachie, Forney and Grand Prairie.
Inside the 100,000-square-foot warehouse is everything from produce and appliances to apparel, waterslides and furniture. The store also has an optical department, a snack shop, deli and travel services.
Customers will notice upon walking into BJ’s that it is laid out similarly to Costco or Sam’s Club, of which there are two each in Fort Worth. Saville, who has been with BJ’s for nearly a decade, is well aware of the wholesale club competition.
What sets BJ’s apart from the competition, in Saville’s opinion, is the banner that loomed above his head on a tour of the store Friday: “UP TO 25% OFF GROCERY STORE PRICES EVERY DAY,” it read.
“I mean, everybody knows what wholesale clubs are,” Saville said. “But then when they start learning about the value we offer, I think that’s what gets people coming back … Our produce is exceptionally priced.”
Membership for the first year at the south Fort Worth location is $20, Saville said, with 10 cents off per gallon of gas as well. Memberships typically cost about $60.
Another feature of BJ’s wholesale model Saville likes to highlight is that customers aren’t compelled to buy a five-pound bag of cheese if they don’t want to: The store offers small items, such as deli purchases and single-serve lunch foods, he said.
Similar to the way Costco offers Kirkland Signature-brand items, BJ’s has two private-label brands: Berkeley Jensen for non-food merchandise, and Wellsley Farms for food items.
Although the store is still in the process of getting stocked, with forklifts beeping about, one fridge that was completed displayed frozen food specials. The Wellsley Farms items included “uncured beef franks in pastry” — or mini-hot dogs, spanakopita, breaded mozzarella sticks and Saville’s person recommendation: Steak and Cheese Spring Rolls.
Saville sees BJ’s as a family brand, he said. The large number of families in the Metroplex and its booming growth drew the chain to Fort Worth, Saville said. The chain doesn’t plan to stop here though; 25 to 30 new clubs are planned by 2027, he said.
The chain on Friday announced a grant donation to the Tarrant Area Food Bank to bring fresh produce markets to Prowley ISD, Saville said.
When asked if BJ’s plans to overtake the wholesale competition in Texas, Saville laughed.
“We’re driven by a powerful purpose,” he said. “Our purpose is we take care of the families who depend on us … We’re focused on what we do.”
The store is almost fully staffed, with a goal of reaching 100 employees before opening, Saville said.
A woman Friday drove up to the store in a white minivan with hopes of shopping, only to be be disappointed that it was not yet open to the public. She has already bought a membership.
While Saville did not disclose an opening date, he said it would be coming “soon.”
