by - February 17, 2020 12:30 pm
Top 5 Arkansas business stories of the decade
Arkansas’ economy was a tad wobbly entering the 2010 decade. The Great Recession continued to be a little too great, with the state’s jobless rate at 8.2% in January 2010…
Retail
by - February 15, 2020 11:17 am
The Supply Side: Artificial intelligence is slowly shaping the future of retail
Artificial intelligence (AI), otherwise known as machine learning, is slowly reshaping retail from optimizing back-end supply chain operations to in-store execution. It is also impacting marketing, customer service engagement and…
by - February 13, 2020 5:03 pm
Walmart shelves Jet black shopping service, cuts nearly 300 jobs
It’s been two and a half years since Walmart began testing its white-glove concierge shopping service dubbed Jet black. After much speculation that Walmart would spin-off the venture given its…
by - February 13, 2020 4:02 pm
Analysts expect a 2.1% net income gain for Walmart’s fourth-quarter
This world’s largest retailer is expected to post a fourth-quarter net income of $1.44 per share in its Feb. 18 report, which represents a year-over-year increase of 2.1%. Net income…
by - February 13, 2020 2:18 pm
Car-Mart profit, revenue to rise in third quarter; stock price hits 2nd straight record high
America’s Car-Mart earnings and revenue are expected to increase in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 as its stock price jumped to a record high for two consecutive days. After…
by - February 12, 2020 2:41 pm
Analysts cite potential coronavirus impact to Tyson Foods, Walmart
China is a long way from Northwest Arkansas but its impact to the region’s two largest companies is important. Tyson Foods and Walmart each have substantial operations in China and…
by - February 12, 2020 12:30 pm
UA accounting department to bear name of Dillard’s founder William Dillard
The University of Arkansas announced Wednesday (Feb. 12) the Department of Accounting in the Sam M. Walton College of Business will be named for William Dillard, the founder of Little…
by - February 12, 2020 12:19 pm
Car-Mart joins S&P SmallCap 600; stock price hits 52-week high
Bentonville-based America’s Car-Mart announced Wednesday (Feb. 12) the buy here, pay here used car dealer has been added to the S&P SmallCap 600 index as the company’s stock price on…
by - February 12, 2020 12:02 pm
Walmart’s marketing division realignment continues
Walmart continues to make personnel changes as the retailer’s new fiscal year gets underway. The latest realignment is taking place in the company’s vast marketing division, headed up by chief…
by - February 11, 2020 5:06 pm
Coronavirus disrupts freight, price of oil; U.S. impacts could be ‘substantial’
While the death toll and number of new cases related to the coronavirus continues to rise in China, the impact of the respiratory illness has expanded into the U.S. energy,…
by - February 11, 2020 1:11 pm
Consumers expected to spend a record $27.4 billion on Valentine’s Day
Armed with strong financial positions consumers are expected to dole out $27.4 billion on goods and services for Valentine’s Day this year. That’s up 32% from a year ago and…
by - February 8, 2020 10:35 am
The Supply Side: SmileDirectClub lands in 3,800 Walmart stores
Direct-to-consumer brand SmileDirectClub is spreading its wings with a recent deal that puts oral care products in 3,800 U.S. Walmart stores. The Nashville, Tenn.-based company approached Walmart about a year…
by - February 5, 2020 3:53 pm
Walmart U.S. restructures central operations division
John Furner, CEO of Walmart U.S., announced several management changes in an internal memo issued this past Friday (Jan. 28) including the departure of Mark Ibbotson, executive vice president for…
by - February 5, 2020 1:40 pm
The Supply Side: WhyteSpyder, Nielsen Brandbank align to provide deeper retail insights
Nielsen Brandbank is partnering with Springdale-based WhyteSpyder’s SKU Ninja service to provide retailers and brands more insights and richer content creation aimed at increasing online sales. The partners announced the…
by - February 4, 2020 12:52 pm
David Glass’ leadership path did not include shortcuts
Andy Wilson, a retired Walmart executive, remembers former CEO David Glass as the smartest person in the room, but who never forced his way of thinking on others. “He listened…
by - February 3, 2020 12:59 pm
The Supply Side: Online retailers seeking out brick-and-mortar locations
One of the most surprising retail trends of 2019 included more digitally native brands seeking brick-and-mortar exposure, according to Scott Benedict, director at the Center for Retail Studies at Texas…
by - January 31, 2020 5:15 pm
Central Mall of Fort Smith sold to Mason Asset Management for $17 million
Central Mall in Fort Smith has changed hands in a $17 million deal that moved ownership of the iconic location to Igal Namdar and Elliot Nassim of Great Neck, N.J.,…
by - January 29, 2020 9:31 pm
Fuel price spikes bounce Murphy USA earnings
Revenue and profits slipped slightly for Murphy USA Inc. as fuel price spikes altered the company’s profit margins. The El Dorado-based gas and convenience store operator reported earnings for the…
by - January 27, 2020 7:47 pm
Walmart ‘monitoring’ coronavirus, equity markets fall on potential global economy impact
Impacts on the global economy from the growing threat of the coronavirus outbreak are beginning to spread with business closures, travel restrictions and losses in equity markets. The Dow Jones…
by - January 26, 2020 5:24 pm
The Supply Side: Top CPG industry predictions for 2020
Industry analysts expect several changes for the consumer packaged goods industry in 2020. Top predictions include increased demand for pet products, further integration of the in-store and online shopping experiences…