LOS ANGELES-The Westfield Group will add Costco stores to shopping centers here, in Florida and in Maryland under a new deal with Costco Wholesale Corp. The three Costco locations will be at the proposed Village at Westfield Topanga in the San Fernando Valley, at Westfield Sarasota Square in Sarasota, FL and at Westfield Wheaton in Wheaton, MD.

Peter Lowy, Westfield Group managing director, said in a prepared statement that the introduction of Costco to the company's properties "illustrates Westfield's aim to introduce new goods and services into the malls" to bring new and new choices for Westfield shoppers. The new Costco stores are expected to open in late 2011/early 2012 at Sarasota and Wheaton, and late 2012 at the Village at Westfield Topanga.

In the Los Angeles area, the new Costco planned for the Village at Westfield Topanga will be in the middle of the San Fernando Valley's Warner Center business district. The approximately 146,000-square-foot Costco will anchor the proposed new development, which is between Westfield's existing Topanga and Promenade centers.

The Village at Westfield Topanga will total nearly one million square feet of new retail, dining, hotel and office area along with community and cultural uses, courtyards and gathering spaces. Westfield recent spent $350 million to redevelop and expand Westfield Topanga with the addition of Target and Neiman Marcus along with 300,000 square feet of new shops, restaurants and upscale dining terrace.

In Sarasota, Westfield plans to redevelop a former department store to house an approximately 145,000-square-foot Costco. This would be Costco's first location in a wide expanse along Florida's Gulf Coast stretching across Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties. Currently, the nearest Costco warehouse clubs to Sarasota are located over 40 miles away. Westfield Sarasota Square is a regional center of more than 900,000 square feet that is anchored by JCPenney, Macy's, and Sears, plus more than 130 shops and restaurants.

In Wheaton, a suburban community just outside of Washington, DC, an approximately 148,000-square-foot Costco will occupy the second level of a former department store site, with Westfield planning for the addition of mini anchors and new retail shops on the ground level below Costco. Westfield Wheaton is a 1.6-million-square foot regional mall anchored by JCPenney, Macy's and Target, along with 195 shops and restaurants.