Walmart set to close
its store in Corning
A Walmart store that opened in Corning in 1978 will close by July 20, the company said Thursday. Corning is in northern Clay County near the Missouri border.
Two other Walmart stores -- in Clinton, Ill., and Edna, Texas -- also will close by July 20.
"The decision to close our Corning store is not an easy one, but as a company, we are committed to continuing our growth and investment in Arkansas," Tiffany Wilson, director of communications, said in a statement.
Store No. 235 at 1900 W. Main St. employs about 60 workers.
"For a small town, that's a lot of employees," said Carla Price, president of the Corning Chamber of Commerce. The retailer said eligible employees will be transferred. Others will be offered severance packages and paid through Aug. 31, unless they leave the company before that date.
The Corning store has a pharmacy, and Wilson said prescriptions can be filled at Walmart Supercenters in Pocahontas or Paragould. Both stores are about 30 miles from Corning.
-- Nathan Owens
Car-Mart to expand
with Oklahoma lot
America's Car-Mart said Thursday that it is opening a dealership in Pryor, Okla., bringing the company's total lot count to 140.
The location will be the Bentonville company's 26th operation in Oklahoma. It will be run by Car-Mart veteran Jason Henson, according to a news release. Pryor is east of Tulsa.
In May, the company said it also plans to open dealerships in Fayetteville; Bixby, Okla.; and Montgomery, Ala.
In May, Car-Mart reported a profit of $10.2 million, or $1.43 per share, for its fiscal fourth quarter compared with $5.2 million, or 66 cents per share, a year before. Revenue was $169.5 million for the quarter, compared with $152.9 million a year before.
Car-Mart operates dealerships in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
Shares of Car-Mart rose 85 cents, or 1.4 percent, to close Thursday at $63.40.
-- John Magsam
State index picks up
1.20, ends at 441.36
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 1.20 to 441.36 Monday.
"Equities bounced today led by the Telecommunication and Technology sectors and boosted by seasonal strength ahead of the last day of trading for the second quarter of 2018," said Leon Lants, managing director at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 06/29/2018