Building for Sam's Club to start soon

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. anticipates breaking ground on Sam’s Club in late spring/early summer.

Spokesman Glen Wilkins said the retail warehouse is still in the “very early stages,” but as soon as the necessary permits are in hand, the company will hit the ground running.

The approximately 139,000-square-foot membership warehouse will be located on approximately 18 acres of undeveloped land near the corner of Robert M. Bell Parkway and Highway 1. The site does not encompass the former Dick Smith car dealership or Brian Lovett’s Auto Sales.

Between 150 to 175 new associates jobs will be created, and that figure does not include the number of construction tradesmen who will be put to work to bring the store to fruition.

The application process for in-store associates will likely be online, Wilkins said, who added the process has not yet begun.

“We saw there was a need in Aiken. Sam’s is in business for small business, so we looked at where our customers were coming from. We saw an opportunity to go in, go where our customers were and better provide service,” Wilkins said. “Sam’s Club has been anxious to serve Aiken for a while.”

Sam’s will have 617 parking spaces and a six-pump gas station on site, according to site plans submitted to Aiken County Planning and Development last month.

No plans have been submitted for the other outparcels that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. purchased adjoining the Sam’s Club site.

The site will be accessed from two entrances off Highway 1, one of which will be controlled by a traffic signal, and one off Robert M. Bell Parkway. Each driveway will have a dedicated turning lane, and the roadway will be widened to tie into existing lanes of Hitchcock Parkway.

A traffic study projection estimates that shoppers, employees and service personnel will make roughly 5,000 to 6,600 trips to the shopping area each day.

Sam’s Club carries groceries, baby products, books, electronics, furniture, health care products, home appliances, jewelry, office supplies, sports equipment and toys. Annual membership fees are $35 for businesses and $40 for families.

At present, the nearest Sam’s Club is located in Augusta on Bobby Jones Expressway. Founded in 1983, Sam’s Club is the eighth largest retailer in the United States and has nearly 600 locations across the country. The company reports some 47 million shoppers currently hold membership to Sam’s Clubs.

Haley Hughes has spent five years as the Aiken County government reporter with the Aiken Standard. Hughes, a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, hails from Knoxville, Tenn.