walmart west columbia south carolina

Follow FITSNews on and like us on

xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"

rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"

Haley adopted a on the Amazon deal – opposing it rhetorically but promising not to veto it if it reached her desk. Also, her Commerce Department repeatedly (and unsuccessfully) lobbied state lawmakers on behalf of the proposal.

Amazon pulled the plug on the facility shortly after losing the vote – which also may have prompted several other companies to abandon plans to bring jobs to South Carolina.

The Wal Mart announcement comes one week after the S.C. House of Representatives a controversial sales tax exemption for Amazon – which was planning on locating a fulfillment center in Lexington County, S.C. that would have employed at least 1,200 people.

Looks like for once she was speaking the truth …

During an event in Rock Hill, S.C. a week ago, Haley told a crowd that “ ” would soon be coming to the Palmetto state.

In addition to its numerous retail outlets, Wal Mart already has a massive distribution center located in Laurens County, S.C. that employs more than 1,500 workers. The company has another distribution center in Pageland, S.C.

No information was immediately available regarding the salary and benefits associated with these new jobs, or the amount of taxpayer-funded incentives that were doled out in order to land them. The average Wal Mart job in South Carolina pays approximately $12.80 per hour, according to the company.

“This is a strong company that already employs almost 28,000 people in our state,” Haley said. “To have them continue to invest in South Carolina and create more than 4,000 additional jobs is something we’re going to celebrate.”

How many new jobs? At least 4,000 – including a mix of retail and distribution positions. The capital investment figure associated with the announcement? $400 million.

News of an impending “major economic development announcement” was leaked by the Haley administration to reporter Jim Davenport of the Associated Press early Wednesday. A pair of state officials who spoke with FITS on condition of anonymity said that the announcement in question was a dramatic expansion of Wal Mart’s presence in the Palmetto state.

“We believe South Carolina is a great investment,” Wal Mart CEO Bill Simon said in . “We will open dozens of new stores in communities across the state – creating jobs, driving economic growth and offering South Carolinians the broadest assortment of goods at our everyday low prices. These jobs we offer will be good jobs with competitive wages and benefits and opportunities to build a career.”

Wal Mart officials and S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley made the big announcement at a press conference in West Columbia, S.C.

After leading the fight to keep online retailer Amazon out of South Carolina, discount retailer Wal Mart announced on Wednesday that it would be bringing thousands of new jobs to the Palmetto state.

By fitsnews – May 4, 2011Wal Mart To Bring Thousands Of Jobs To SC

Politics, Sports and Pop Culture

Wal Mart To Bring Thousands Of Jobs To SC - FITSNews