While no official confirmation has come from Walmart and no specific plans have been announced for the Statesboro Walmart Supercenter, renovations at the store on Northside Drive are well underway. 

And, a date for when renovations would be complete and an official grand re-opening date was posted on signs at both entrances to the store – June 28. 

In January, the nation’s largest private employer announced it would remodel 650 stores in the next 12 months across 47 states. The company said at the time the remodeled stores would “reflect Walmart’s new concept, featuring improved layouts, expanded product selections and new technology to help workers better help customers and make shopping more convenient."

But it has still yet to release which stores would be remodeled.

While a fence with a green wind screen was put up on the south end of the Statesboro Supercenter in late January, it wasn’t clear until signage went up in mid-February that a renovation would take place.

Again, with no official confirmation of the planned renovations, the shell of a large structure on the grocery side-of the store is an expansion of the 190,000-square-foot store. Inside, the aisles where snacks, crackers and cookies, along with some pet food and supplies, have been moved to another location nearer the center of the store.

Other shelving in all parts of the store have been removed of inventory, indicating more areas will be part of the renovation.

Originally opened in Statesboro as a Walmart store in 1984, it was expanded and added a grocery section in 1997 to become a Walmart Supercenter. Walmart opened a smaller Neighborhood Market store in Statesboro’s Market District in December 2014.

While the Supercenter underwent a four-month renovation in 2010 that included a new front, the majority of the indoor makeover involved reorganizing departments, updating shelving and new refrigeration and freezer units. It did not include fully modernizing the store.

The Statesboro Supercenter remains a top performer among the approximately 4,100 Walmart’s across the U.S. A company spokesperson said a list of stores scheduled for remodeling in the 2024 had not been finalized.

In a memo shared in February with The Associated Press, John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart's U.S. division, said that the first two new stores under the initiative, both Neighborhood Markets, are set to open later this spring in Atlanta and Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. It's also finalizing construction plans on 12 new store projects to start this year, along with converting one of its smaller locations to a Walmart Supercenter. Supercenters run about 180,000 square feet and sell everything from oranges to clothing to TV sets.

The Associated Press reported Walmart plans to build 12 new stores and convert 150 current stores, which marks a big change for the company. In 2016, Walmart said it was slowing new store openings and instead investing in its online efforts, technology and store remodels as it aimed to be more competitive with Amazon. A company spokeswoman said the discounter hadn't opened a new store since November 2021.

The remodelings come as the Bentonville, Arkansas-based chain, like many other retailers, is relying more on its physical stores to fulfill online orders and use them as online pickup locations.