Author: Kim Souza

Kim Souza

The Supply Side: Centoco in talks to make toilet seats in Arkansas for Walmart

Bethany Toldo, president of family-owned Centoco Manufacturing of Windsor, Ontario, recently made the long trip to Bentonville to pitch toilet seats her company makes in McCrory (Woodruff County), about 75…

Council: ‘Bold action’ needed for sustainable growth in Northwest Arkansas

For more than a decade, the Northwest Arkansas Council has focused on sustainable regional growth into future decades. Council leaders said Thursday (Oct. 23) that “collective commitment” will be needed…

Sales tax revenue rebounds in October reports

Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale reported total sales tax revenue of $10.244 million in their October reports, up 6.18% from the same period last year. Year to date, the cities…

Walmart invests $44.5 million in Connecticut shopping center

Bentonville-based Walmart has acquired a shopping mall property in Norwalk, Conn., making it the retailer’s third mall property deal in 2025. Other retailers in the mall include Ulta and restaurants…

The Supply Side: How an Arkansas-based barbecue sauce found its way into Walmart

Native Arkansan Bobby Wagner is living his dream. After working in sales for two decades at a Jonesboro tanning bed manufacturer, he was able to pitch his dad’s barbecue sauce…

Walmart invests in smarter supply chain technology

The internet of things (IoT) technology has been around for two decades, but Walmart is now investing in San Diego-based Wiliot to deploy its smart sensors in the retail giant’s…

U.S. online grocery sales rise 31% in September

U.S. online grocery sales surged to $12.5 billion in September, a 31% increase over the previous year, according to the latest shopper survey from Brick Meets Click and Mercatus. A…

The Supply Side: Walmart celebrates 40 years of buying American-made goods

It was 1985, and Walmart had 882 stores with annual sales of $8.4 billion and roughly 104,000 employees. The retailer was expanding in Colorado and Wisconsin. But that was also…

Walmart wraps up Open Call, hands out more than 100 golden tickets

Walmart handed out more than 100 golden tickets to business owners hoping to get products in the retailer’s system. The retail giant hosted more than 500 companies from 47 states;…

NRF: Retail sales rose 5.42% in September from year ago

Consumer spending was strong in September compared to the same period last year, lifting sales by 5.42%, according to Thursday’s (Oct. 9) report from the National Retail Federation’s Retail Monitor….

Walmart welcomes 600 hopeful suppliers to Bentonville

Hopeful entrepreneurs filed into the Sam Walton Auditorium early Tuesday (Oct. 7) for Walmart’s 12th Annual Open Call event. It is the 40th anniversary for the effort to buy goods…

Walmart to spend $300 million on North Carolina fulfillment center

In Walmart’s quest for faster online e-commerce delivery, the retailer plans to build a $300 million fulfillment center in Kings Mountain, N.C. Walmart said the 1.2 million-square-foot facility will open…

The Supply Side: Walmart focused on faster deliveries

Two-day delivery used to be table stakes for retailers just a few years ago. But times have changed, and consumers want products faster and faster, according to David Guggina, chief…

Walmart to remove synthetic dyes, 30 other ingredients from private brands

Add Walmart to the list of retailers and food producers making ingredient changes after pressure to do so from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., through his “Make…

Food insecurity rises with inflation, consumer sentiment sinks

Perceptions of food and financial insecurity are at the highest rate since August 2023, according to a Dunnhumby consumer survey. The data found that 35% of American families with children…

NRF: Record Halloween spending estimated to reach $13.1 billion

Halloween is a month away, yet retailers have had their merchandise out since late August with the hopes that consumers buy early. The National Retail Federation (NRF) found 49% of…

The Supply Side: Holiday sales growth could be lowest in a decade

As economic uncertainty continues to weigh on consumers, holiday sales in the United States are expected to grow at their slowest rate since the pandemic, according to early read reports…

Rebates lower sales tax revenue in several Northwest Arkansas cities

Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale sales tax revenue totaled $9.736 million in the September report, down 1.79% from the year-ago period. Bentonville had a 19.92% decline for the period, which…

The Supply Side: Walmart’s cake decorators stay busy, earn more

In the age of personalization, Walmart is taking advantage with its bakery business, which rings up about $3 million a week from cakes decorated in its U.S. stores. The cake…

Rising costs continue to challenge small business owners

The unpredictable economic times around sustained inflation, cautious consumers and volatile trade policy have small businesses more concerned for the balance of the year. A small business survey in late…