Author: Kim Souza

Kim Souza

Walmart sets ‘Open Call’ again with U.S. manufacturing push

Walmart has set June 13 as its “Open Call” day. Hundreds of hopeful suppliers will descend on Walmart’s corporate offices prepped for a 20-minute buyer meeting that can make or…

Walmart’s top five execs paid $64.722 million in fiscal 2017

Walmart Inc. exceeded the $500 billion revenue threshold for the first time in the company’s 53-year history. So it’s no surprise the company’s top five executives, who benefit from performance-based…

Walmart testing a new mobile checkout service for garden center

Walmart announced Thursday (April 19) it’s testing a new mobile checkout service – “Check Out With Me” – in more than 350 U.S. stores. The service is available at Arkansas…

Highlands Oncology Group eyes Springdale for its third cancer center

Highlands Oncology Group is bursting at the seams in its Fayetteville cancer treatment center as the region’s population continues to grow beyond 500,000. Need for additional space has prompted the…

Northwest Health subscribes to Mayo Clinic Care Network

Northwest Health announced Tuesday (April 17) it has joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network, giving its patients access to speciality consults and second opinions from the more than 3,300 doctors…

Beef business likely booming for Tyson Foods, weaker markets for chicken and pork

Times are good for Tyson Foods’ beef business. Cattle supplies continue to rise, packers have plenty of livestock, and domestic and export demand has held strong, according to Derrell Peel,…

NPD: Millennials driving changes in retail more than other generations

At 83 million strong, the Millennial generation is having a bigger impact on retail more than any other generation, including Baby Boomers. Pew Research reports Millennials are the largest generation…

‘Smart region’ possibilities outlined for Northwest Arkansas

Leaders across Northwest Arkansas leaders have been sought out by Rick Webb to get them to imagine the region becoming the nation’s first “smart region” equipped to bring convenience, ease…

Retail watchers debate the advantages between Amazon and Walmart

Retail is not a zero sum game, but there are winners and losers to share in the $3.6 trillion retail sector. Walmart gets the nod over Amazon in terms of…

Walmart to spend $31 million improving stores in Arkansas

Walmart plans to spend $31 million over the next year renovating and remodeling nine stores in Arkansas and expanding Scan & Go, and pickup towers for retrieval of online orders….

The Supply Side: Grocery suppliers get a buffer day on Walmart ‘OTIF’ policy

Walmart Chief Merchandising Officer Steve Bratspies sent a memo to suppliers on Monday (April 9) detailing changes with “On-Time-In-Full” (OTIF) delivery requirements. The changes are retroactive to March 31. “As…

Temkin Survey: Walmart lags competitors in customer experience ratings

Despite much focus on improving customer experiences in its stores and online, Walmart continues to rank below most of its competitors, according to the 2018 Temkin Experience Ratings survey of…

The Supply Side: New tool helps suppliers grow, manage e-commerce sales

Supplier sales executives buying dinner for their Kroger or Walmart buyers to talk over the brick-and-mortar business is not a recipe for e-commerce success, according to Guru Hariharan, CEO of…

Tyson Foods grows foodservice division to a $12.6 billion business

Tyson Foods is a household name for branded retail products like frozen chicken tenders and Jimmy Dean sausage, in all commanding 42 miles of retail freezer aisle space in the…

UA conference attendees discuss blockchain disruptions, benefits

Blockchain is seen as another disruptive technology – along with machine learning, internet of things and virtual reality – that has the potential to impact nearly all business sectors. There…

David Cheesewright joins Walmart Canada as part-time consultant

David Cheesewright, former chief executive officer for Walmart International, ended his full-time employment with Walmart on March 31 and transitioned to a part-time consultant role for Walmart Canada for the…

Mexican trade official seeks business opportunities in Arkansas amid NAFTA urgency

Fernando Marti, trade and investment commissioner for ProMexico, said he met earlier this week with J.B. Hunt, Tyson Foods, Walmart and a few small private businesses in Northwest Arkansas to…

Mercy to expand in Springdale beyond the original plans

Mercy’s $247 million ongoing expansion in Northwest Arkansas includes a 63,000-square-foot clinic and emergency and outpatient surgery center under construction in northwest Springdale. Kerry Harper, executive director of support services…

Analysts: Walmart-Humana deal doable, but a possible distraction; PillPack talks also rumored

Oliver Chen, an analyst with Cowen & Co., places the odds of an acquisition of Humana by Walmart as high as 40%. He said odds are as high as 80%…

Talk Business & Politics product review: Walmart meal kits offer convenience over value

Walmart recently expanded its private brand meal kits with prices ranging from $8 to $15 depending on the entree. Talk Business & Politics purchased two of the dinners and prepared…