BJ's Wholesale Club Says Texas Membership Runs 30% Ahead of Plan

Membership at BJ's Wholesale Club's Texas locations is tracking more than 30% ahead of plan, and gas is the engine behind it.

Four Texas gas stations ranked in the top 30% of the retailer's chain for gallons sold last quarter, and two of them cracked the top 10%, Chairman and CEO Bob Eddy said during the company's second-quarter earnings call, according to a transcript provided by AlphaSense.

"Our gas volumes have been outstanding [in Texas]," Eddy said. "This performance in Texas should not be a surprise."

High gas prices have worked in BJ's favor. The retailer has kept its fuel costs lower than competitors, and that advantage is drawing members in a state where wholesale clubs fight for every gallon.

The company plans to keep building. BJ's will open a club in Mesquite later this year and another in Tyler, outside Dallas, early next year.

Gas consumption is more than a traffic driver. Bill Werner, executive vice president of Strategy & Development, said high fuel usage strongly predicts membership renewal.

"So when we look at something like that early on, we feel really good about the prospects of being really successful down there with the membership base," Werner said during the call.

He cautioned that patience matters in new markets. A club takes about three to five years to show its true membership potential. "Texas is really important," Werner said.

Tariff refunds are the second lever BJ's is pulling to protect pricing. Eddy said tariff refunds helped the retailer keep prices low during the first half of the year, and other initiatives will support that effort through the rest of 2026. The company is working with suppliers to secure what it calls its fair share of tariff refunds and to determine optimal assortments, which Eddy said may deliver price margin benefits.

The combination of surging Texas membership, cheaper gas and tariff-supported pricing gives BJ's a clear runway as it opens its next two Texas clubs and waits out the three-to-five-year maturation cycle Werner described.