By Kimberly Chin

Costco Wholesale Corp.'s sales jumped 17.6% in March, continuing its strong sales run despite improvement in the Covid-19 vaccination front that could spur people to spend more time away from home..

Total sales were $18.21 billion in the five weeks ended April 4, up from $15.49 billion in the same period last year.

Comparable sales, or those from Costco warehouses open for more than a year, rose 16%, across all its regions. U.S. comparable sales increased 13.9%. Meanwhile, e-commerce sales surged 57.7% in March from the prior year.

Excluding gasoline prices and foreign exchange rates, comparable sales rose 11.1% company-wide. It was up 11.3% in the U.S. as adjusted. Online sales rose 54.5% by the same measure.

Write to Kimberly Chin at kimberly.chin@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

04-07-21 1650ET