Retailer talks up Black Friday
Wal-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 Bent…
Stories by Steve Painter
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Recovery to plod, state’s NW told
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 …
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900 Wal-Marts in storm’s path
At 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 s…
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Thinner herds bode ill for beef prices
Record-high prices are forecast for cattle headed to slaughter in 2013 as a result of prolonged drought conditions in the nation’s midsection.
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Wal-Mart sets sustainability goals
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. this week outlined new supply-chain initiatives aimed at lessening the company’s global impact on the environment.
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Retailer hit with suit in Illinois
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 …
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Illegal grass seed found in state
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…
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Retail-trend watchers label online sales a game changer
Retail executives and consultants on Wednesday described a rapidly changing environment in retailing as online purchases account for an ever-growing share of s…
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Better job sites, workers implore
Warehouse workers from Illinois and southern California on Tuesday called on Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to improve working conditions at warehouses that supply its s…
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Tyson sets up plan to keep eye on farms
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 desti…
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Wal-Mart boasts of stronger sales
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 w…
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Retailer expands finance services
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville and American Express said Monday that they have started a new service to provide consumers with a supplement to debit cards…
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LA-area walkout targets retailer
An undetermined number of Wal-Mart employees at several Los Angeles-area stores walked off the job Thursday, claiming the Bentonville-based retailer was attemp…
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Wal-Mart faces regional bias case
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. faces a new sex-discrimination lawsuit that seeks class-action status and has the potential to include some female employees in Arkansas.
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Wal-Mart critics say staffing short
Wal-Mart critic groups on Monday hosted an “alternative” analyst briefing via a conference call in advance of next week’s Wal-Mart investor conference to point…
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Critics: Staffing short at Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart critic groups on Monday hosted an “alternative” analyst briefing via a conference call in advance of next week’s Wal-Mart investor conference to point…
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Seasonal hiring expected to climb
Retailers across the nation anticipate hiring more employees for this year’s Christmas shopping season as the U.S. economy continues to recover from the recess…
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Report signals region’s revival
Northwest Arkansas’ economy is recovering rapidly, adding jobs and businesses at a rate that outpaces its peer regions, according to a study released Thursday …
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Dry days shrink state grape crop
Drought and excessive heat combined this summer to shrink the Arkansas grape crop.
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Wal-Mart reaffirms ‘green’ initiatives
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reaffirmed Thursday that it is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its operations around the globe.
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RFID tags seen penetrating deeper into product tracking
Radio-frequency identification tags, once viewed primarily as a tool to more easily track inventory on the shelf and on pallets in stores’ backrooms and distri…
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Wal-Mart tests receipt-compare website
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is testing a program in which shoppers who buy groceries at competing supermarkets can find out if they could have saved money by shopping…
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Whirlpool finds buyer for Fort Smith factory
Whirlpool Corp. of Benton Harbor, Mich., confirmed Thursday that it has a likely buyer for its Fort Smith plant that ceased production of side-by-side refriger…
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School season bolsters Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. had a strong back-to-school, backto-college shopping season and is positioned well heading toward Christmas, the biggest shopping event of…
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Tyson fighting ban in Russia
Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale said Tuesday that it is seeking to resolve a temporary ban on frozen boneless pork shipments to Russia after laboratory tests fo…
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Measuring a startup’s success
A small, Internet-based firm on the town square in Fayetteville has passed a milestone of sorts.
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UA set to open research facility
The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville is preparing for the opening next month of its third — and biggest — research facility for radio frequency identific…
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Leaving pact, ABF tells Teamsters
ABF Freight Systems Inc. of Fort Smith has told the International Brotherhood of Teamsters that it intends to withdraw from the National Master Freight Agreeme…
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African retailer pushes growth
Massmart, the South Africa-based retailer that is majority-owned by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville, reported Wednesday that sales increased 15.6 percent f…
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Retailer layaway period to grow
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Monday that it will extend its Christmas season layaway program to 90 days — up from 60 days a year ago — and will make more merchand…
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Cabela’s store in Rogers raring to open
Cabela’s Inc. of Sidney, Neb., which bills itself as the world’s foremost outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, last week offered a glimpse inside it…
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Stores join on mobile paying
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is among the U.S. merchants that formed a new company, Merchant Customer Exchange, to develop an application for smart phones to pay for p…
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Wal-Mart reports net income increases 5.7% for the quarter
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Thursday reported net income up 5.7 percent for the second quarter of its current fiscal year, prompting the retailer to raise its full…
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Carrier cites default on credit agreement
USA Truck Inc. has cautioned investors in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it is not in compliance with the covenants of its cred…
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Retailer says it’ll disclose risk data
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to provide more detail about potential threats to its business from lawsuits and from cyber-attacks, according to regulatory fi…
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Tyson lowers forecast for ’12
Tyson Foods Inc. trimmed its sales and profit forecasts for fiscal 2012 on Monday, citing higher feed costs resulting from the ongoing drought and a one-time c…
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Reports predict back-to-school spending boost
Retailers are looking forward to a rebound in backto-school and back-to-college spending this year, after a 2011 season in which sales were flat or slightly de…
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Electronics firm to add up to 50 Fayetteville jobs
Delta Group Electronics Inc., based in Albuquerque, N.M., said Friday that the work force at its Fayetteville plant could double to 100 after it was chosen as …
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Retailer opposes pact on swipes
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville is among the retailers urging rejection of a proposed $6 billion settlement with card issuers Visa Inc., MasterCard Inc. an…
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Ways to pay give paths to defraud
Researchers at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville have teamed with the Retail Industry Leaders Association to evaluate theft-prevention measures, given…
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Facebook founder said to be in state
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive officer of social media giant Facebook, was in Bentonville on Friday to meet with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. executives,…
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USA Truck reports $3.5 million net loss in its second quarter
USA Truck Inc. of Van Buren reported Thursday that it had a net loss of $3.5 million, or 34 cents a share, for the second quarter of its current fiscal year en…
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Shares of Tyson reach 52-week low
Shares of Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale hit a 52-week low of $15.22 on Tuesday as heat and prolonged drought have driven up production costs for corn and othe…
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J.B. Hunt reports 22.5 percent growth in quarter earnings
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. of Lowell on Monday reported second-quarter 2012 earnings of $80.5 million, or 67 cents per diluted share, up 22.5 percent fr…
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Growth of retail clinics stalls, but rise foreseen
The growth in retail store based health clinics stalled in the first half of the year but is expected to resume in the second half, according to research and c…
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Retailer shares hit new heights
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s stock price has hit record highs in recent days, a development that analysts attribute to better merchandising and to fears among invest…
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Amazon charging Texans sales taxes
Online retail giant Amazon.com Inc., which long has resisted efforts to collect state and local taxes in most states, this month began collecting those taxes o…
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Canada division looking to hire
Wal-Mart Canada said Tuesday that it will open 47 hiring centers across that nation as it seeks to fill an anticipated 4,000 new jobs, a move that’s driven in …
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Baldor settles claims of bias
Baldor Electric of Fort Smith has agreed to pay $2 million in back wages and interest to settle allegations of systemic discrimination against women and minori…
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Study compares Web, store prices
A new study by Kantar Retail, part of a British research firm with offices around the world, found that Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s supercenters offer the lowest pr…
