The city of Searcy is among 10 contenders in a competition for small businesses featured on the Hulu streaming service.
Searcy was among 12,000 applicants nationwide for Hulu's program Small Business Revolution -- Main Street, sponsored by the Deluxe Corp., a Minnesota-based company that helps small businesses. The winning town -- and six of its small businesses -- receive $500,000, and their transformation is documented in the series.
City officials and residents learned of Searcy's advancement during a watch party Tuesday at the historic downtown Rialto Theater. "I have never witnessed such unity and swift, comprehensive engagement as what the Small Business Revolution has brought to our community in an incredibly short period of time," Mat Faulkner, president of Think Idea Studio in Searcy, said in a news release.
As a Top 10 city, Searcy will receive a visit from program's producers in January. Five finalists will be announced in mid-February.
-- Stephen Steed
Walmart opens Japan online mall
Walmart Inc. has opened an online store in Japan, the company said in a news release Tuesday. The Bentonville retailer is working with Japanese Internet services giant Rakuten Inc. to offer U.S.-branded products, including apparel and toys, to Japanese consumers.
The Walmart Rakuten Ichiba Store, on the Rakuten Ichiba digital shopping mall, will initially offer about 1,200 products and gradually add product categories. Orders will be filled in the U.S. and airmailed to Japanese customers. Shipping, duties and taxes are included in the product price.
Walmart's Japanese unit, Seiyu GK, will provide customer support for the store. A wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart since 2008, Seiyu currently operates about 330 stores.
The e-commerce store is the latest venture in a strategic alliance between the two companies that was announced in January.
-- Serenah McKay
State's index slips by 1.50 to 382.28
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, fell 1.50 to 382.28 Tuesday.
"An opening rally reversed course closing flat on Tuesday, in part due to a video showing President Trump openly sparring about government funding with the top two Democratic lawmakers during an Oval Office meeting, raising doubts a deal would be possible ahead of a deadline later this month," said Chris Harkins, managing director with Raymond James & Associates 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 12/12/2018