WADESBORO- In a move that has left Anson County reeling, Walmart has declared that it will be closing the doors to it’s Wadesboro store on April 3. The news was announced to Walmart’s 205 employees, press, and town officials alike on Wednesday, March 4.

News of the closure spread rapidly in the small, rural community. Walmart has been a major source of employment and tax revenue in the area for over 30 years. The loss of 205 jobs in a town made up of just 5,740 citizens is a massive hit to the local economy. Among the most impacted by the closure are the families of the Walmart employees.

“This decision is based on several factors, including the store’s overall financial performance,” said Walmart in a press release. “We hope the majority of the associates at the store will want to continue their career with Walmart by transferring to another location. Our HR teams will help identify transfer opportunities and assist associates through the transfer process,” said the release.

While many employees may be able to transfer to other stores, a large number of them may not be able to for a variety of reasons, such as a lack of reliable means of transportation. Local organizations, such as South Piedmont Community College, Anson Economic Development Partnership, and Anson County Chamber of Commerce, are working in conjunction with state agencies, such as NCWorks, to assess and address the needs of these employees.

“We are looking at Walmart’s closure in a layered sort of way,” said Kelly Stegall, Dean of the School of College and Career Readiness at South Piedmont Community College. “The first layer will be assisting NCWorks.”

NCWorks is North Carolina’s workforce system. On its website, job seekers can search for jobs, create resumes, and find education and training. Employers can use the site to post jobs and search for candidates.

“Historically, we’ve assisted NCWorks by going out and helping employees to revise their resumes, and to get them into the NCWorks system so that they can connect with employers that are actively looking in the area,” said Stegall. As part of this effort, SPCC is going to station a vehicle in the Walmart parking lot that will be loaded with computers that the employees can use to upload resumes, search for jobs, or apply for classes.

“We have about 250 open positions on the NCWorks database here in Anson County,” said Anson Economic Development Partnership Director John Marek, who added, “35 of those are retail positions that anyone coming from Walmart will be qualified for. Many of the positions that are available require some sort of certificate or skills training and that’s where the community college comes in.”

SPCC is prepared to help Walmart employees transfer into a new job or assist them in acquiring licenses and certificates. “Any of our curriculum programs, such as certificate, diploma, and degree programs, are offered at no cost to Anson residents,” said Stegall.

There are other employment opportunities as well. Food Lion has announced a job fair on March 17. “They anticipate that their business is going to increase significantly as a result of this closure, so they will be adding employees,” said Marek. The Anson County Chamber of Commerce is also planning on hosting a job fair in the coming days.

The new Roses store may also present employment opportunities. “The new Roses has completed their initial round of hiring,” said Marek, who added, “But I wouldn’t be surprised if, based on this development, they look to add employees as well.”

Upon hearing news of Walmart’s imminent closing, many Wadesboro and Anson County residents flocked to social media to express their concerns, frustrations, and anxieties. Often at the expense of town officials.

“I think something that’s important for people to know is that the town and the county didn’t want this, didn’t ask for it and we certainly weren’t aware it was happening,” said Wadesboro Town Manager David Edwards. “We do our best every single day to try and create a business and growth-friendly environment. We were not given the opportunity to approve or deny the closure. If we were, we certainly would not have encouraged it.”

“Obviously, my number one concern is for the Walmart employees and their families and what this means for them,” said Edwards. “I, personally, don’t know how many of those folks have the ability to drive to a different store if they’re offered that opportunity,” he said.

“My second concern is also related to the citizens and that’s access to some of the things Walmart provided that may or may not be able to found elsewhere. Things like school uniforms, school supplies, certain prescriptions, and medications. Wadesboro residents without a reliable mode of transportation are the most affected by this closure,” said Edwards.

Edwards also has concerns about how the closure will affect tax revenue for the city. “Obviously, the closure presents some impact on sales tax revenue for the town. When we receive our sales tax distributions, they don’t give us the breakdown of what revenue came from what stores. We’re researching that and trying to get that data from the state,” said Edwards.

“I certainly don’t think that we will lose all of our sales tax revenue because at least some percentage of the groceries and dry goods bought there will stay in town, just at different retailers,” said Edwards, who added, “I don’t believe that we’ll get all of that back. Whether folks use online retailers or drive to a different Walmart.” Anson County Schools may be the most affected by the loss in sales tax revenue since a portion of that tax revenue goes to their budget.

“It’s incredibly impactful negatively in some ways, but I also think this presents an opportunity for some of our smaller businesses and for some of our existing retail stores, such as Food Lion, IGA, and now Roses,” said Edwards.

Edwards is also concerned about how Walmart’s closure threatens to overshadow Wadesboro’s recent momentum, such as increased sales tax revenue over the past couple of years. “Whether or not people are aware, we do have some really great things that have and are happening in town. We have had three (new businesses open) that I know of, and there are potentially more, small businesses that are opening up in Uptown,” said Edwards.

“I think the most important take away from this is that this does not define us. This is not a commentary or symptomatic of the fact that Wadesboro and Anson County are failing. I think that this is simply an unfortunate corporate decision that is going to have some impact on us, but it’s not going to beat us. We’re not going to let it. We have really good people that are dedicated to this county and to this town and those people will not let this be the end of the success that we’ve seen these last few years,” said Edwards.

In a move that has left Anson County reeling, Walmart has declared that it will be closing the doors to it’s Wadesboro store on April 3
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/web1_Walmart-2.jpgIn a move that has left Anson County reeling, Walmart has declared that it will be closing the doors to it’s Wadesboro store on April 3

Customers will be able to shop at Walmart until they close down on April 3.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/web1_3-4.jpgCustomers will be able to shop at Walmart until they close down on April 3.

By Charles Wood

Staff Writer

Reach Charles Wood at cwood@ansonrecord.com or at 704 994 5471