Sprint expands its Costco retail distribution presence; Sprint to sell high-end products – including LTE handsets – in more Costco stores across the country

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), September 18, 2013 – Sprint (NYSE:S, news, filings) today announced it will sell its products and services in 100 more stores owned by Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDQ: COST), expanding its relationship with the leading retailer across the country.

Sprint began selling products in 106 Costco membership warehouses last fall. Most products are Sprint’s premium, higher-end handsets from its Samsung, HTC and Motorola portfolios and the latest from its line of 4G LTE phones.

Costco operates a chain of membership warehouses that carry quality, brand name merchandise at lower prices than conventional retail sources. The addition of the retail chain’s stores will help Sprint target and reach the growing market of small-to-medium-sized businesses – as well as consumers — that Costco has successfully sold to over the years.

“The relationship with Costco is key to deepening Sprint’s relationship with consumer and business buyers in a high-traffic retail space like a Costco store,” said Traci Jovanovic, vice president – National Sales Channels. “Customers of all types believe in the Costco value proposition and have historically bought products faithfully at its stores. Building on the relationship with Costco marks a major milestone as Sprint continues to expand its distribution footprint.”

In Costco stores Sprint products will be sold in wireless kiosks and dedicated retail space managed by Wireless Advocates, a third-party provider of wireless products and services in retail locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The third party group supplies Costco with an expert team of sales professionals, collaborative relationships with leading wireless companies, and a proven record of superior customer service.

About Sprint

Sprint offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint served more than 53 million customers at the end of the second quarter of 2013 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint as the most improved company in customer satisfaction, across all 47 industries, during the last five years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in both its 2011 and 2012 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.