Retail

Murphy USA Q1 profits nearly triple

Murphy USA Inc. reported first quarter net income of $152.4 million, nearly three times higher than a year ago when profits topped $55.3 million. On Tuesday (May 3), the El…

Retail and restaurant additions continue in Northwest Arkansas

Retailers and restaurant chains continue to invest in new locations in Benton and Washington counties, according to permits on file with the Arkansas State Health Department. Big Lots will open…

Bentonville apparel company LIVSN seeks equity investors

Bentonville-based outdoor apparel company LIVSN Designs recently launched an equity crowdfunding campaign as it looks to release five products this year. Those who invest in the Wefunder crowdfunding campaign receive…

Rogers firm Bold Strategies announces $2.3 million funding round

An e-commerce marketing agency based in Rogers announced Monday (May 2) $2.3 million in new investment. Bold Strategies founder and CEO Allan Peretz said the funding from Montage Capital will…

Women business owners: Be persistent, find mentors, be vulnerable

Advice from women business owners offered Thursday (April 28) during a panel discussion in Fort Smith included being “vulnerable” and being “your own advocate” to push beyond the rejections that…

Walmart board to remain at 11; board opposes all submitted shareholder proposals

Walmart’s board of directors is a mix of outside retired business managers, Walmart officers and Walton family members. Company shareholders will vote on a slate of 11 directors at the…

Walmart opens $220 million import distribution center in South Carolina

Walmart has opened a 3 million square foot import distribution center in Dorchester County, S.C., this week at a cost of $220 million. It is the retail giant’s seventh import…

Walmart’s top 6 execs earned a combined $60.311 million last year

The top 6 executives for Bentonville-based Walmart Inc. earned a combined $60.311 million last year, down from $70.61 million earned the year before. Stock awards, which is deferred income, was…

Survey: Consumers see product shortages as ‘new normal’

Consumers are accustomed to seeing grocery and retail store shelves almost empty. Supply chain disruptions and shifting consumer spending patterns that began with COVID-19 continue to be a supply-demand challenge…

Walton brothers will pay $60M for existing Walmart corporate campus in Bentonville

A limited liability company owned by Steuart Walton, a director of Walmart Inc., and his younger brother Tom Walton will pay $60 million to acquire the existing Walmart corporate campus…

Sissy’s Log Cabin breaks ground on jewelry store in Memphis

Sissy’s Log Cabin broke ground Friday (April 15) on a new location in Memphis. The store will be located in Laurelwood Shopping Center, and Sissy’s will become the official jeweler…

Dollar for Dollar: Walmart loses price gap comparison with competitors in its home market

Editor’s note: The price comparisons in this story were done March 30 at stores in Bentonville located within 1 mile of each other. ————— With inflation at a 40-year high…

U.S. retail sales growth slows in March

Consumers are still spending but at a slower rate than last month and a year ago, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday (April 14). Seasonally adjusted retail sales…

U.S. Easter spending forecast at $29.8 billion, down 3.7% from 2021

U.S. consumers are expected to spend $20.6 billion for Easter holiday travel, clothes, and events including egg hunts and Sunday dinner. The National Retail Federation in cooperation with Prosper Insights…

Walmart tags PayPal exec as next CFO

John Rainey will be Walmart’s next chief financial officer. He follows Brett Biggs who announced his retirement last year capping a 23-year career with the retail giant. Rainey will join…

CPI shows prices up 8.5% in March report

The Consumer Price Index rose 8.5% in March, the largest annual increase since December 1981. The all-items less food and energy index rose 6.5%, the largest annual increase since August…

Economists say used vehicle sales, values down but should rise this spring

Used vehicle sales and values in the United States have not been as strong in recent months as tax refunds have been distributed more slowly than in years past, economists…

Online grocery sales fall 6% in March

Consumers spent $8.7 billion for online groceries in March, down 6% from a record $9.3 billion in the year-ago period, according to the Brick Meets Clicks/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey. Consumers…

Walmart’s Flipkart pushes public offering to 2023

Walmart’s push to take its multi-billion dollar investment in Flipkart public is on hold as the Russian invasion of Ukraine has dampened investor appetites for an initial public offering (IPO),…

Walton family to invest $225 million for fitness, childcare centers on Walmart HQ campus

Two buildings to open by the end of 2023 on Walmart’s new corporate campus in Bentonville are a 360,000-square-foot fitness center and a 73,000-square-foot childcare center. The Walton family is…