WADESBORO — Buzz is circling around the old Walmart building after the “For Sale” sign changed to “Sale Pending” and now, “Sold.”
Anson Economic Development Partnership Executive Director John Marek said they know who is going to be moving into the building, but they are waiting for the business to make the official announcement.
“At this point, all we can say is that it will not be a traditional retail store or a manufacturing facility,” Marek said. “It is an existing private-sector business from California that is locating its east coast hub here.”
The company that bought the old Walmart building is located in Modesto, California. Marek believes the company will be making an announcement this week. Until then, he will not be releasing any information as the new owner had requested to make the announcement following their timeline.
Over 200 people lost their jobs when Walmart closed its doors on April 3, 2020. Walmart offered employees the opportunity to relocate, while other local organizations stepped in to help the newly unemployed including South Piedmont Community College, AnsonEDP and the Anson County Chamber of Commerce.
The Town of Wadesboro also braced for a potential decrease in sales tax revenue following the closing of Walmart by reducing the sales tax expectations by 25% for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. Luckily, the town and community stepped up in buying local, keeping the sales tax revenue on par with previous years.
Now the town anxiously awaits the official announcement from the new business and the number of potential jobs it will bring to the area.
