The Selma pundits are at it again. And again, they are wrong.

According to Cedric Haynes, manager of Selma’s Wal-Mart Supercenter, the city’s largest retail business will not close its doors – despite constant speculation around town.

“By no means are we closing,” Haynes said Monday.

Even Haynes admitted he has heard rumors throughout the city.

“Yes, there are some problems, and I’m working on some issues, both external and internal,” he said. “But we are definitely not closing.”

Wal-Mart’s corporate office in Benton, Ark., also said the store will not close. According to a spokeswoman for the company, Wal-Mart has a policy of not commenting on rumors, but “we have no plans to close that store,” she said.

Jamie Wallace, president of the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce, said the rumors have circulated Selma for quite some time.

“When rumors are being passed about a business that large, it is a concern to the community,” Wallace said. “It is grossly unfair to the community and to the business for those sort of rumors to be spread.”

Along with many of the rumors in Selma, one that Haynes specifically addressed was the closing of a Wal-Mart in another part of Alabama.

“I think it was either in Talladega or Tuskegee where we did close a store,” he said. “That was about 14 years ago.”

Another reason for the rumors is not exclusive to Selma, Haynes said.

“Due to the economy, we’re feeling the crunch just like other retailers,” he said. “But we are not closing the doors here.”