Walmart stores in Beaufort, Jasper counties not affected by closure announcement

A significant Walmart store closure announced Friday morning will not affect stores in Beaufort and Jasper counties.

The Bentonville, Ark.-based retail giant is shutting 269 stores this year, including all of its 102 small-format Express stores. The move is expected to affect 16,000 jobs internationally, with about 10,000 of those positions in the United States.

A Walmart Supercenter operates in Jasper County at 4400 Highway 278 in Hardeeville. The two Beaufort County Walmart Supercenters, in Beaufort and on Hilton Head Island, will remain open, as will the Sam's Club on Hilton Head.

Walmart said it still plans to open more than 300 stores in the coming fiscal year beginning in February, including 50 to 60 Supercenters, 85 to 95 Neighborhood Markets and seven to 10 Sam's Club stores.

Beaufort County is expected to receive four of those new stores:

• a Sam's Club and Walmart Supercenter are planned for a combo site at the intersection of U.S. 278 and S.C. 46 in Bluffton,

• a Supercenter is heading to Lady's Island at the intersection of Sea Island Parkway and Airport Circle, and

• a Neighborhood Market will be built at the intersection of Bluffton Parkway and S.C. 170.

Follow reporterl Ashley Fahey on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Ashley.

This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Walmart stores in Beaufort, Jasper counties not affected by closure announcement."