Retail

Apparel retailer Express to reorganize under Chapter 11

Apparel retailer Express, who is helmed by former Tyson Foods CFO Stewart Glendenning, plans to close 95 stores as it restructures its finances amid a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The…

Walmart’s new corporate campus in Bentonville will include Wright’s Barbecue restaurant

Arkansas restaurant chain Wright’s Barbecue will have a new location incorporated into the Walmart corporate campus under construction in Bentonville. Cindi Marsiglio, Walmart’s senior vice president for corporate real estate, announced the…

Dollar Tree could gain market share from 99 Cents’ demise

The 99 Cents Only stores recently filed bankruptcy and announced the closure of its 370 stores in Texas, California, Nevada and Arizona. Dollar Tree will likely pick up the market…

The Supply Side: Survey notes impact of inflation, but consumers still spending

U.S.-based fintech Bread Financial found that half of middle-class consumers are spending more than last year because of inflation. The financial services firm conducted surveys between October and December 2023…

Walmart reports on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts

Walmart is the nation’s largest private employer with more than 1.625 million employees. The retail giant boasts about efforts to be an employer of choice for everyone, regardless of race,…

Convenience store industry focuses on value, prices amid inflation

With sustained inflationary pressures into early 2024, consensus in the convenience store industry is that the consumer is looking for value with nearly every dollar they spend, according to the…

NRF: Retail sales increased by 2.72% in March

Consumer spending on retail goods—excluding automobiles and gasoline—was up 0.36% in March compared with February and 2.72% from a year ago, according to the National Retail Federation data compiled in…

The Supply Side: Secondhand apparel market continues to grow

According to GlobalData, the U.S. secondhand apparel market grew 11%, or seven times faster than the broader retail apparel market, to $43 billion last year. The report estimates that resale…

BLS: Year-over-year inflation up 3.5% in March

Prices of goods and services were higher than expected in March with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rising 0.4% for the month and 3.5% higher year over year, according to…

Used car prices fell nearly 15% in March

Used vehicle prices in the United States declined in March amid strong sales and higher supply levels, economists said. The prices were down by 14.7%, the highest year-over-year decrease since…

The Supply Side: TJX banners, other off-price retailers doing well in early 2024

Consumers continue to spend on discretionary items at off-price retailers like Burlington, Ross Stores and TJX banners such as T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods. The off-price retailers are outperforming department…

Arkansas candy, chocolate makers weigh in on cocoa crunch

Cocoa prices recently hit record highs amid global supply concerns. Still, area chocolatiers and candy makers had different opinions about the impacts of lower supplies of the core ingredient used…

Crisp hires ex-Nielsen exec Dirk Herdes to lead NWA growth

Crisp, the open data retail tech firm headquartered in New York, has hired Dirk Herdes of Rogers as senior vice president of sales and general manager for its growing Northwest…

Walmart to raise return rates for third-party e-commerce orders

Walmart’s monthly announcement on its marketplace portal states that it has increased the return shipping rate for orders fulfilled by its third-party sellers. The increase took effect on March 20….

Forbes: Arkansas’ richest families see wealth grow

Jim Walton, 75, and his family, which includes sons Tom and Steuart, ranked No. 18 on the Forbes Billionaire List for 2024 at $78.4 billion. Walton is the youngest son…

The Supply Side: Lessons learned from walking a Walmart store

In his memoir, Walmart founder Sam Walton noted that the customer was the most important person in the business. He spent hours each week walking around his stores, talking to…

Hot Springs Metro Partnership announces new Amazon last-mile facility planned

The Hot Springs Metro Partnership announced that Amazon is entering into an agreement for a new last-mile facility in Hot Springs. This new facility will be approximately 35,500 square feet…

Walmart to refile antirust paperwork with Vizio deal

Walmart plans to refile documents for federal antitrust review of its proposed deal to acquire Vizio for $2.3 billion. The Bentonville-based retailer confirmed the planned acquisition on Feb. 20. According…

Retailers win class-action settlement with Visa, Mastercard over swipe fees

U.S. retailers and merchants reached a settlement over swipe fees with Visa and Mastercard that is expected to reduce swipe fees over the next five years by $29.79 billion. Through…

Gaskins on Emma, Daily Beet among new restaurants planned in Northwest Arkansas

Growth in Northwest Arkansas continues to draw interest from retail and restaurant companies. More than 10 retailers and restaurants sought permits in the first two months of this year, and…