Retail

Walmart’s Asda and Sainsbury merger is off

Walmart’s plan to merge its Asda operations in the United Kingdom with Sainsbury hit a road block and the partners agreed to terminate the merger on Thursday (April 25). News…

Walmart’s top five executives earned $68.73 million last year

The top five executives at Walmart are paid handsomely for their services, raking in a combined $68.73 million last year. Total income for the top five earners rose 6.19% from…

Survey: Consumers shop stores and online, with expectations high for delivery, discounts

Retail 3.0 is driven by consumers who demand top-notch shopping experiences in stores and online. A recent survey and report from advertising tech company Criteo compared shopper attitudes among more…

The Supply Side: Retail store closures accelerate in 2019

Retail closures in the U.S. continue to accelerate through the first quarter of 2019, far outpacing the same period in 2018, according to Coresight Research and its CEO Deborah Weinswig….

Online purchases up 11.6% in March, total sales up 3.6%

Spending in March on goods and food services totaled $514.1 billion, up 16% from the previous month and up 3.6% against March 2018, according to the advance monthly sales report…

Walmart is testing LED-projected floor ads in Bentonville store

Walmart, which has said it will use innovative measures in stores to boost sales, is testing LED projectors that display ads on the floor of the Supercenter on South Walton…

Easter spending trends downward at $18.11 billion this year

Fewer consumers are planning to celebrate Easter this year and overall spending at retail is expected to be $18.11 billion, down roughly $50 million from a year ago. Easter spending…

Walmart partners with fashion startup aimed at kids apparel

Walmart hopes to boost sales of kids clothing by partnering with New York-based KIDBOX on a seasonal subscription initiative aimed at families who want top fashion brands for their children….

Best Buy names first female CEO

Electronics giant Best Buy has promoted Corie Barry to CEO as Hubert Joly is assuming the role of executive chairman effective June 11. Barry, 43, will be the first woman…

Fletcher Lord III named president of Crow-Burlingame

Little Rock-based Crow-Burlingame has appointed Fletcher Lord III as president of the family-owned company that marks its 100th anniversary this year. Lord, who has served as vice president since 2012,…

The Supply Side: Grocery consolidation likely to continue in challenging market

Food retail and food suppliers were active in mergers and acquisitions last year, and the trend is expected to continue, said David Schoeder, principal with The Food Partners in suburban…

Walmart announces Arkansas investment plans

Walmart plans to invest $31.3 million in its Arkansas stores for projects that include remodels, grocery pickup and delivery, installing Pickup Towers, and automated floor scrubbers. The money invested in…

The Supply Side: Walmart, Kroger closing gap on Amazon with online grocery

Amazon is the undisputed digital commerce king in the United States, but its foray into grocery has been challenging, even after it acquired Whole Foods in 2017 for $13.7 billion….

Used vehicle prices to be stable in second half of 2019 barring new tariffs

Used vehicle prices rebounded in March after falling at the start of 2019, but after April, the prices are expected to remain stable throughout the remainder of the year, unless…

Survey: Walmart ranks highest with Gen Z, men, rural consumers

Walmart recently ranked among the most loved brands by three separate demographics — Generation Z, men and rural consumers — in the 2019 survey by MorningConsult.com. The rankings are based…

Field Agent report shows Gen Z brand preferences, cooking habits

Generation Z consumer insights are of interest to retailers and product manufacturers because the demographic already yields roughly $143 billion in spending power, according to the Barkley Report. Fayetteville-based Field…

Retailers continue to add stores, retail employment dips in February

While much of retail commerce is moving online in many categories like apparel and hardware, retailers continued to add brick and mortar stores in 2019. Through March, 34 retailers had…

The Supply Side: Walmart raises the bar on OTIF with suppliers

Walmart U.S. CEO Greg Foran recently said if the retail giant can’t get its orders on time from suppliers then nothing else it does works. Speaking to the investment community…

Amazon ushering in another round of price cuts at Whole Foods

Amazon and Whole Foods Market announced a third round of price cuts to begin Wednesday (April 3) that will offer lower prices on fresh produce for all customers and expanded Prime…

Exec says Walmart Supercenters are an opportunity, not a drag

Brett Biggs, chief financial officer at Walmart, said the Supercenter is an omnichannel opportunity and no longer a disadvantage for the retail giant. Biggs, with Walmart for 19 years, said…

Oklahoma court ruling threatens poultry industry in Arkansas

GDP up 4.3% in the third quarter, consumer confidence declines

St. Bernards to expand Maternal Life360 HOME program into Greene County

Then and Now: Cooperative business model a good fit for Mitchell Johnson