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Meat origin-label rule riles industry

Subscriber onlyU.S. meat and livestock groups this week sharply objected to newly implemented U.S. Department of Agriculture requirements on country-of-origin labeling, saying the changes violate World Trade Organization rules and could cost meat packers, such as Tyson Foods Inc., as much as $47.3 million collectively to implement, based on the regulations published in the Federal Register. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: May 25, 2013 at 3:27 a.m.

Study: Gas drilling in state hasn’t contaminated wells

Subscriber onlyShale-gas production in Arkansas has not resulted in groundwater contamination, according to a study by researchers at Duke University and the U.S. Geological Survey. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: May 17, 2013 at 3:32 a.m.

Wal-Mart cuts Bangladesh suppliers

Subscriber onlyWal-Mart Stores Inc. said Tuesday that it has barred dozens of apparel factories in Bangladesh from supplying goods to the retailer. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: May 15, 2013 at 12:23 a.m.

Wal-Mart touts career prospects

‘Real’ appeal sells retailer as more than low-wage jobs

Subscriber onlyWal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville has begun a national television and online marketing campaign focusing on how the company not only helps customers save money, but also provides “tremendous career opportunities.” Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: May 12, 2013 at 2:53 a.m.

Tyson’s 2nd quarter uneven

Revenue up slightly, but profit plummets from last year

Subscriber onlyTyson Foods Inc. of Springdale on Monday reported mixed results for the second quarter of its fiscal year, with revenue rising slightly to $8.4 billion compared with $8.3 billion a year ago, while net income was down sharply. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: May 7, 2013 at 12:56 a.m.

UA centers partner on retail technology

Subscriber onlyTwo centers at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville are partnering on research to implement new and emerging visual identification technology in retail settings, aimed in part at keeping store shelves stocked with merchandise shoppers want. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: May 6, 2013 at 2:54 a.m.

Wal-Mart tests policy in Fort Smith

Subscriber onlyWal-Mart Stores Inc. said Wednesday that it is fulfilling a commitment that Bill Simon, president and chief executive of the company’s U.S. stores division, made in January to provide employees with more transparency in shift scheduling, aimed at allowing workers to choose more hours and expand their knowledge of store operations. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Apr 25, 2013 at 3:28 a.m.

Arkansans inspired agriculture policy, U.S. secretary says

Subscriber onlyFAYETTEVILLE — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack paid homage Tuesday to Arkansas’ farming and livestock industry, noting that he was motivated by former Arkansas U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers, Arkansas’ Bill Clinton and others as his career in agricultural policy developed. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Apr 24, 2013 at 2:10 a.m.

Wal-Mart: Energy goals on track

Subscriber onlyWal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville on Monday reaffirmed its goal of eventually being powered 100 percent by renewable energy such as solar and wind power, outlining short-term goals for the next several years. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Apr 16, 2013 at 2:10 a.m.

News reports of scant stock irk Wal-Mart

Shelves full, retailer insists, but analysts cite staff cuts

Subscriber onlyWal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville has come under scrutiny — and not in a favorable way — for being out of stock on some items and for customers facing long waits at checkout lines because of reduced staffing levels. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Apr 13, 2013 at 3:34 a.m.

Internet sales tax gaining headway

75-24 Senate vote energizes backers

Congress is now debating legislation, dubbed the Marketplace Fairness Act, that would add state sales taxes to many items shoppers now buy from Internet retailers. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Mar 31, 2013 at 2:43 a.m.

Report: Wal-Mart curtails efforts in India

Subscriber onlyWal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville has slowed its expansion in India amid allegations of bribery as the retailer sought to expand its presence in one of the world’s mostpopulous nations, according to The Economic Times, an India-based daily financial newspaper. The company launched an internal investigation late last year that ultimately led it to cut ties with two dozen consulting firms working on its behalf, The Economic Times reported. The newspaper said its report was based on interviews with three people with direct knowledge of the situation who declined to be named. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Mar 24, 2013 at 2:22 a.m.

River system braces for cuts

Federal budget reductions threaten barge traffic

Subscriber onlyBusinesses that rely on barge traffic on the 440-mile McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System to move fertilizer, grain and other commodities are raising concerns about looming federal budget cuts’ effects on shipping. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Mar 17, 2013 at 2:17 a.m.

Wal-Mart CFO’s report mostly upbeat

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s chief financial officer delivered a mostly upbeat report Tuesday on the company’s performance in its U.S. operations as well as its growing international business. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Mar 13, 2013 at 12:09 a.m.

Retailer to add smaller outlets

Wal-Mart cites growth potential

Wal-Mart is signaling that its smaller-format stores — Neighborhood Market and Express, primarily — will play a larger role in the company’s future growth. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Mar 9, 2013 at 3:26 a.m.

Wal-Mart launches female-retailer site

Empowering Women Together features 19 small businesses in U.S., abroad

Subscriber onlyWal-Mart Stores Inc. on Thursday launched a new shopping website, Empowering Women Together, aimed at boosting the sales of merchandise at small businesses owned by women in the United States and eight other countries. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Mar 9, 2013 at 3:23 a.m.

Animal activists target Wal-Mart over sow stalls

Confinement called cruel; producers call it safety issue

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is being targeted by animal welfare groups seeking to end the pork industry practice of housing sows in gestation stalls that allow little room for movement, a practice already prohibited in nine states. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Mar 3, 2013 at 2:25 a.m.

Wal-Mart’s medical-clinic fever waning

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in 2007 outlined an ambitious effort to open as many as 2,000 in-store, walk-in medical clinics over the next five years. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Feb 24, 2013 at 2:51 a.m.

Wal-Mart profit up 8.6% for 4th quarter

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Thursday reported an 8.6 percent increase in fiscal fourth-quarter profit but cautioned that shoppers are pressured by high gasoline prices and the recent payroll tax increase, which could cut into future sales. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Feb 22, 2013 at 12:43 a.m.

Car-Mart’s quarter blows hubcaps off analysts’ forecasts

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — America’s Car-Mart, the Bentonville-based buy-here, pay-here auto dealer, reported third-quarter net income Tuesday of $8 million for the period ending Jan. 31, up 9.5 percent from $7.3 million for the corresponding period a year ago. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Feb 20, 2013 at 3:09 a.m.

Tyson report scores first ‘ A’

Group praises sustainability

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — An international monitoring group has given Tyson Foods Inc. an “A” rating in its new corporate responsibility report for a high level of disclosure and transparency. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Feb 10, 2013 at 2:21 a.m.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — P.A.M.’s net loss put at $311,010 P.A.M. Transportation Services Inc. of Tontitown on Wednesday reported a net loss of $311,010, or diluted loss per share of 4 cents, for its fourth quarter that ended Dec. 31. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Feb 7, 2013 at 3:18 a.m.

Network turning Wal-Mart ‘greener’

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville is partnering with the Mother Nature Network, operator of the websites mnn. com and treehugger.com, to identify and publicize efforts of companies and individuals who are deploying and promoting environmentally friendly practices. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Feb 3, 2013 at 2:20 a.m.

Tyson’s first-quarter income climbs 11%

CEO cautions about rising feed prices

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale reported Friday that its net income rose 11 percent in the first quarter of its 2013 fiscal year, which ended Dec. 29, reaching $173 million compared with $156 million for the same period a year ago. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Feb 2, 2013 at 3:28 a.m.

Arkansas Best net in hole

Trucker loses $7.9 million in quarter, but revenue up

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Best Corp. of Fort Smith on Wednesday reported a net loss of $7.9 million for its fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, citing a continuing weak freight market and a $2.4 million increase in workers’ compensation expenses. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Jan 31, 2013 at 12:47 a.m.

Partnership offers legal, medical aid

Wal-Mart effort in state used as model in Texas

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and its charitable arm are participating in a medical-legal partnership to assist patients from low-income households at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Jan 27, 2013 at 2:08 a.m.

J.B. Hunt sets profit records

Stock gains $4.11 on news of best-ever revenue, earnings

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. of Lowell on Thursday reported fourth-quarter earnings of $84.0 million, or 70 cents per share, for the period ending Dec. 31, up from $72.6 million, or 61 cents a share, a year earlier. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Jan 25, 2013 at 12:21 a.m.

Retailer foresees online rev-up

E-commerce list: Wal-Mart No. 4

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. signaled last week that it envisions a larger role in the future for its online operation. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Dec 16, 2012 at 3:04 a.m.

Wal-Mart employees rally, claim retaliation

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. workers staged rallies Friday in several of the retailer’s stores in other nations, claiming workers have been disciplined for seeking changes in their workplaces. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Dec 15, 2012 at 2 a.m.

Detail in leak report disputed

Tyson differs on worker’s fluency

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale and federal regulatory agencies overseeing workplace safety remained at odds Monday over the cause of a chemical leak at the company’s Berry Street plant in Springdale that sickened scores of workers in June 2011. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Dec 11, 2012 at 12:23 a.m.

Social media marketer going to town

Bentonville’s Collective Bias grows, plants feet on both coasts and Minneapolis

Subscriber onlyBENTONVILLE — Just off the square downtown, a small, 3 1/2-year-old marketing firm with expertise in the social media arena is undergoing a significant expansion, though not at home base. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Dec 9, 2012 at 2:19 a.m.

Wal-Mart new target in labor suit

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Attorneys acting on behalf of California workers at warehouses that supply Wal-Mart stores filed an amended federal court complaint Friday seeking to add the retailer as a defendant in a case against the operator of the warehouses. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Dec 1, 2012 at 2:23 a.m.

Canadians pull out of deal to purchase Whirlpool property

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Fort Smith city and economic development officials are once again seeking a buyer for the idle Whirlpool Corp. plant after a potential buyer pulled out of the deal. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Nov 29, 2012 at 3:20 a.m.

Labor board closes Wal-Mart inquiry

No Black Friday probe results released

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — The National Labor Relations Board has closed its investigation into whether Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and one of its union-funded critic groups violated provisions of the National Labor Relations Act in the weeks leading to Black Friday sales. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Nov 27, 2012 at 12:07 a.m.

Some cut short Thanksgiving, get in lines

Subscriber onlyChristmas shoppers looking for “Black Friday” deals got a head start on their lists this year as multiple retailers pushed their opening times back into Thanksgiving Day. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Nov 24, 2012 at 3:31 a.m.

Tyson profits nearly double

Forecasts beat, its stock surges

LITTLE ROCK — Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale reported Monday that it nearly doubled its fourth-quarter earnings over a year ago, even as revenue showed a slight decline. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Nov 20, 2012 at 2:48 a.m.

Wal-Mart net up to $3.6 billion

Retailer reports 9% quarterly income rise over same time last year

LITTLE ROCK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Thursday reported that third-quarter net income for the period ending Oct. 31 rose 9 percent over the same period a year ago to $3.64 billion, or $1.08 a share, up from $3.34 billion, or 96 cents a share. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Nov 16, 2012 at 12:27 a.m.

Wal-Mart to report earnings Thursday

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is scheduled to release Thursday its third-quarter sales and earnings report for the period that ended Oct. 31. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Nov 14, 2012 at 8:41 a.m.

Season bright, retailers forecast

Group predicts 4.1% sales rise

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — U.S. retailers appear to be headed for a solid Christmas selling season, although sales growth is expected to lag behind last year’s gains. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Nov 11, 2012 at 2:31 a.m.

Retailer talks up Black Friday

Bargains set for shoppers

Subscriber onlyWal-Mart Stores Inc. on Wednesday announced plans for its Black Friday sales, beginning at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day with “gifts for the entire family.” The Bentonville-based retailer’s event will feature games including an Xbox 360 gaming bundle for $149, a Wii console for $89, fashion dolls including Barbie, Bratz and Disney Princess for $5 each and “hundreds” of DVD and Blu-ray movies ranging from $1.96 to $9.96. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Nov 8, 2012 at 3:46 a.m.

Recovery to plod, state’s NW told

But region’s future is bright, business leaders hear at luncheon

Subscriber onlyFAYETTEVILLE — The economy of Northwest Arkansas is undergoing “very wide expansion,” but no one should expect a quick rebound from the recent recession, business owners and leaders were told Thursday. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Nov 2, 2012 at 2:28 a.m.

900 Wal-Marts in storm’s path

Retailer closes 143 locations, readies aid as hurricane strikes

Subscriber onlyAt Wal-Mart Stores Inc. headquarters in Bentonville, company officials said Monday that more than 900 stores likely will be affected by Hurricane Sandy as it strikes the East Coast and moves inland. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Oct 30, 2012 at 2:41 a.m.

Thinner herds bode ill for beef prices

Drought sell-off this summer now creating shortfall

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Record-high prices are forecast for cattle headed to slaughter in 2013 as a result of prolonged drought conditions in the nation’s midsection. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Oct 28, 2012 at 3:12 a.m.

Wal-Mart sets sustainability goals

Retailer’s 3-year forecast in China: 100 new stores, 18,000 jobs

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. this week outlined new supply-chain initiatives aimed at lessening the company’s global impact on the environment. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Oct 27, 2012 at 2:52 a.m.

Retailer hit with suit in Illinois

Wal-Mart sued over hours laws

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville and two staffing agencies with which it contracts are the targets of a lawsuit in Illinois which seeks class action status and claims employees were required to perform some work duties off the clock. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Oct 23, 2012 at 1:16 a.m.

Illegal grass seed found in state

Use reputable dealers for forage crops, plant board urges farmers

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas State Plant Board is advising ranchers and farmers seeking to restore their forage crops in the aftermath of this year’s drought to make sure they are obtaining seed from established dealers. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Oct 19, 2012 at 1:55 a.m.

Retail-trend watchers label online sales a game changer

Subscriber onlyFAYETTEVILLE — Retail executives and consultants on Wednesday described a rapidly changing environment in retailing as online purchases account for an ever-growing share of sales. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Oct 18, 2012 at 2:59 a.m.

Better job sites, workers implore

Wal-Mart help meets officials

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Warehouse workers from Illinois and southern California on Tuesday called on Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to improve working conditions at warehouses that supply its stores. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Oct 17, 2012 at 1:41 a.m.

Tyson sets up plan to keep eye on farms

Company aims to ensure animals treated humanely

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale said Friday that it has started a program called FarmCheck to audit the operations of its suppliers to ensure that animals destined for its meat-processing plants are raised in a humane environment. Continue reading...

By Steve Painter Posted: Oct 13, 2012 at 2:50 a.m.

Wal-Mart boasts of stronger sales

Meeting goals, spending wisely, executives tell investors

Subscriber onlyLITTLE ROCK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is delivering on its pledge from a year ago to generate stronger sales in the U.S. and is gaining market share in almost every market in which it operates globally, company executives said Wednesday. Continue reading...

By John Magsam, Steve Painter Posted: Oct 11, 2012 at 1:28 a.m.

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