Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, a year to the day it opened its doors in Rose Hill, the Wal-Mart Express grocery store closed its doors for the last time at 7 p.m. The city is now without a grocery store for the first time in 30 years.

Wal-Mart announced the closing of 154 stores nationwide on Jan. 15^th, leaving many in Rose Hill with concerns about the future. Wal-Mart’s store manager, Benjamin Barnes, assured the city that the Rose Hill location was a great performer and the decision had nothing to do with the local store. The Rose Hill location worked hard in the community to support local organizations with grants and donations. In addition, the tax revenue from Wal-Mart’s sales helped fund future road development plans.

Mayor Jason Jones shared his thoughts on the closing with the Rose Hill Reporter. “It is a very unfortunate situation for the residents of Rose Hill. My heart goes out to the employees who will be losing their jobs. We are working hard to find a replacement grocer as soon as possible.”

The city recently sent out a press release addressing some of the main questions from the community about the city’s efforts to attract a new grocery store. You can read those on the city’s Facebook below or here.