Author: Kim Souza

Kim Souza

Walmart still upbeat on income forecast, will ‘manage through’ tariff turmoil

Walmart on Wednesday (April 9) said during its investor conference in Dallas it is holding steady with its sales growth forecast, with execs saying the retail giant will play offense…

Online grocery sales rise 21% in March; Walmart tops in market share

U.S. consumers continue to purchase more groceries and consumables online, with online grocery sales rising 21% in March from a year ago. The $9.7 billion in total sales is not…

The Supply Side: Crisp acquires Shelf Engine, plans to further reduce food waste

Retail data solutions provider Crisp has acquired Seattle-based Shelf Engine, an artificial intelligence (AI) provider for retailers and the fresh food supply chain. Terms of the deal were not disclosed….

NRF expects 2025 retail sales growth between 2.7% and 3.7%

The National Retail Federation reported Wednesday (April 2) it expects 2025 retail sales to top $5.42 trillion, growing between 2.7% and 3.7% above the $5.29 trillion in 2024. Online sales…

The Supply Side: Cargo theft to rise 25% in 2025; $35 billion lost in supply chain

Cargo theft is a costly problem for the retail and supply chain industries. In 2024, incident rates hit an all-time high. Industry leaders estimate cargo theft will rise 25% from…

Northwest Arkansas sales tax revenue higher overall in March report

Sales tax revenue reported in March by the four largest Northwest Arkansas cities indicated that Benton and Washington county consumers continued to spend despite weaker retail sales reported nationwide. Bentonville,…

The Supply Side: Pozza’s Pasta owner focused on family tradition, legacy

Lucius Mhoon, owner of Pozza’s Pasta brand made in Springdale, bought the brand 20 years ago from Felix Pozza, who launched the pasta brand as a Tontitown grocer in 1971….

Walmart receives top spot in national grocery shopper survey

Bentonville-based Walmart held the top spot with 63% of U.S. shoppers in a survey using the retailer to shop for groceries, according to YouGov’s grocery store ranking survey for 2025….

The Supply Side: Rogers tech startup seeks to better connect online sales to consumers

Eric Howerton and JS Bull have teamed up to launch a new tech startup to help Walmart and its suppliers more easily increase advertising clicks within their retail media networks…

February online grocery sales top $10.3 billion, up 31% from year ago

U.S. consumers spent 31% more in February for online groceries compared to a year ago. More than 80 million households placed at least one online grocery order in February for…

Walmart Museum to open Friday, features Sam Walton hologram

After more than two years of work, the Walmart Museum, Spark Cafe, and gift shop on the Bentonville square will reopen at 1 p.m, Friday (March 14). The extensive overhaul…

NRF: Retail sales rose 3.38% in February from a year ago

Retail spending declined in February, but retail sales were up compared with the same period in 2024 as the economy remained strong, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF) Retail…

The Supply Side: Scarlet Letter Beverage produces seltzer for Sam’s Club

Jesse Core, founder of Springdale-based Scarlet Letter Beverage, formerly Core Brewing & Distilling Co., said the hard seltzer market continues to take share from craft beer. It’s part of the…

Alice Walton says it’s time to ‘dream together’ to improve health care

Alice Walton asked on Friday a Bentonville audience to welcome her back to Build Bentonville in 15 years to discuss results of the health care transformation taking place now in…

Walmart, KKR to sell Japanese grocer Seiyu for about $2.54 billion

Four years after Walmart sold a majority stake in Japanese grocery retailer Seiyu for $1.6 billion, it is selling the remainder of its ownership to Trial Holdings in a deal…

Report finds that most consumers are concerned about tariff impacts

International trade dominates headlines thanks to sweeping tariffs imposed Tuesday (March 4) by the Trump administration on most or all imports from Canada, China, and Mexico (25%). The tariffs are…

The Supply Side: Slatkin + Co. products land in Walmart

Harry Slatkin needs no introduction in retail. He and his wife, Laura, brought candles and the home fragrance category to life more than three decades ago after leaving jobs on…

The Supply Side: Helios AI to help Walmart with forecasting for agri commodities

Helios AI announced it has signed on to help Walmart with enhanced price forecast tools for agricultural commodities. Helios and Walmart officials met as part of the retail giant’s Open…

Northwest Arkansas sales tax revenue up almost 8% in February report

The cumulative sales tax revenue for Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, and Springdale totaled $11.18 million, up 7.91% from a year ago. Revenue reported in February relates to consumer spending on goods…

January online grocery sales rise an estimated 16.6%

Consumers purchased $10 billion in online groceries in January, up 16.6%, according to Brick Meets Click and Mercatus. The growth was from all three fulfillment methods — delivery, ship-to-home, and…