Times, Morning News Miss Significance of Wal-Mart Buy
by June 28, 1999 12:00 am 109 views
On June 14, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced that it had made its largest acquisition ever, paying $10.8 billion for Asda Group PLC, Great Britain’s third largest supermarket chain. Analysts say the purchase may change the way retail is done in England and give the world’s largest retailer a vantage point to enter continental Europe from the west with more stores.
In the Northwest Arkansas edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the staff-written story made Page 1, taking up most of the space above the fold with a graphic and photos.
The Benton County Daily Record, which is owned by Jim Walton, son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, also played the story above the fold on Page 1.
The way the story was played in the other two local newspapers, however, was a bit surprising to us.
The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas, which covers Benton County, Wal-Mart’s home turf, ran the story on page D-7, the front of the paper’s Tuesday business section. Half of the Morning News’ front page that day was devoted to international wire stories. The other half of the page was devoted to stories of local interest, including coverage of a Lowell City Council meeting.
The Northwest Arkansas Times ran an Associated Press version of the Wal-Mart story on Page A7. On the front page, the Times used a story and photo about a river float trip taken by the governor’s wives of Arkansas and Oklahoma.
The play seems particularly unusual since the Times is being purchased by Community Publishers Inc., Jim Walton’s corporation which owns the Daily Record.