Stories by Serenah McKay

Suit filed against Walmart cites harassment, retaliation The EEOC filed suit on Tuesday against Walmart Inc., claiming female workers in a West Virginia store were subjected to "egregious" sexual harassment and the firing of one woman who complain... September 21, 2023

Walmart faces disability violations Walmart unlawfully fired new workers when their disabilities caused them to fail a test at the end of a training program, the EEOC claimed this week in a lawsuit.In a suit filed Monday, the U.S. Equal... September 14, 2023

UA center chief a vet of recession FAYETTEVILLE -- Mary Beth Brooks loves helping people bring their entrepreneurial dreams to fruition. She also plays a mean game of pickleball.Her career in banking and now as head of the University o... August 30, 2023

Walmart earns $7.8B in quarter Shoppers shelling out money for holidays and sales events like back to school helped Walmart Inc. blast past analysts' forecasts with second-quarter earnings up 55%, the company said Thursday.That... August 18, 2023

Walmart’s McKenna retiring after 27 year career Walmart Inc. said on Wednesday that international division head Judith McKenna is retiring after 27 years with the company.Her departure will set off a shuffling of the Bentonville-based retailer'... August 17, 2023

Walmart doubles Plus customer gasoline discounts at Exxon Mobil stations Walmart Inc. is doubling the fuel discount that its Plus members get at Exxon Mobil stations for the next month.The retailer said Tuesday that the double discount will run through Sept. 15. Depending ... August 15, 2023

Dillard’s quarterly revenue slips a bit Dillard's Inc. said Thursday that cautious consumer spending caused a slight dip in second-quarter revenue, but the retailer still managed to beat analysts' expectations.Revenue reached $1.57 ... August 11, 2023

Tyson closing 4 more plants after 3Q losses Tyson Foods Inc., while reporting third-quarter losses in revenue and profit, said Monday that it's closing four more chicken processing plants, including one in North Little Rock, in an effort to... August 8, 2023

Murphy’s revenue down for 2Q 17.3% Murphy USA Inc. said Wednesday that its fuel and in-store sales remained strong in the second quarter even when compared with last year's phenomenal results.The El Dorado-based gas station and con... August 3, 2023

Walmart buys more Flipkart shares Walmart Inc. recently paid $1.4 billion to buy out the shares of Flipkart held by another large investor, increasing its control over the Indian e-commerce company.Walmart acquired the shares owned by... August 1, 2023

Walmart ‘insulated’ from strikes A strike by UPS drivers, like the action threatened earlier this week, would not be a problem for Walmart because it is "largely insulated" from such disruptions, a researcher said.United Pa... July 27, 2023

More shoppers turning to discount stores for back-to-school buying amid inflation Students headed back to school or college this year are dealing with higher prices by turning to discount stores, an executive with the National Retail Federation said Monday.This year's big items... July 25, 2023

Home BancShares' profit rebounds Home BancShares Inc. of Conway has bounced back from the hit it took in the second quarter last year with its expansion into Texas, reporting on Thursday that its net income rebounded from $16 million... July 21, 2023

LR-based bank nets $167.9M in quarter Bank OZK said Thursday it earned record net income of $167.9 million, or $1.47 per share, in the year's second quarter.In the same period last year, the Little Rock-based bank posted net income of... July 21, 2023

Walmart’s low pricing pays off Walmart Inc.'s efforts to keep grocery prices low should help protect its revenue as inflation cools, analysts say.But retailers who've depended on grocery price inflation to increase their ne... July 20, 2023

Retailers expect back-to-school shopping blitz Back-to-school shopping, that harbinger of summer's end, likely draws groans from students but cheers from retailers, especially since they expect to see record spending this year.Spending for bac... July 19, 2023

Attorneys general ask Fortune 100 CEOs to keep racial preferences out of their hiring and promotion policies Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin joined those from 12 other states who signed a letter sent Thursday asking Fortune 100 chief executives to keep racial preferences out of their hiring and promoti... July 15, 2023

U.S. small business a bit less pessimistic Small U.S. business owners were only slightly less pessimistic about business conditions in June than they were in May, according to a national survey released Wednesday.The Small Business Optimism In... July 13, 2023

Dessert pizza fed Cave Springs couple's romance; now they offer it to world Childhood sweethearts Dorene and Alex Goff ate chocolate chip pizza together at Pizza Inn after school during their junior high years. Now their own version of the confection is set to arrive in Walma... July 2, 2023

2Q brings increase of 8.95% for index The Arkansas Index, which tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Friday at 833.35, down 0.24% from the previous day and finishing the second quarter up 8.95%."The Bloomber... July 1, 2023

YouTuber MrBeast, Ryan Peters of Peters Pasta get cracking in online challenge with Happy Egg Co. in Rogers YouTube sensation and philanthropist MrBeast and TikTok star and pasta maker Ryan Peters of Peters Pasta recently cracked more than 10,000 heritage eggs from a Rogers company to make 670 pounds of pas... June 28, 2023

Walmart predicts overseas success Walmart Inc. expects its international division to do better in sales and operating income than the rest of the company, its financial head said Wednesday."International's gotten a little mor... June 16, 2023

Jury orders Walmart to pay $7.16M Walmart Inc. must pay $7.16 million to another company that makes hand sanitizer, a federal jury in Fayetteville ruled last week, not long after a Fayetteville circuit court jury hit the retailer with... June 15, 2023

Walmart building plant in Kansas Walmart Inc. is investing $257 million to build a beef-packing plant in Kansas, that state's governor said Tuesday.The plant will be Walmart's first owned and operated case-ready beef facility... June 14, 2023

Amazon: No state layoffs set Amazon.com's plans to cut jobs and warehouse space nationwide won't affect any of its Arkansas facilities, the company said Thursday.The e-commerce retail giant, which ramped up hiring and war... June 11, 2023

Stars come out for Walmart fest FAYETTEVILLE -- Walmart Inc. upped the wow factor at this year's employee and shareholders celebration Friday with A-list stars and a Hollywood-style film sequence starring Northwest Arkansas.Coun... June 3, 2023

Walmart tests ideas at NWA store ELM SPRINGS -- Walmart Inc. employees call the Elm Springs Supercenter the "store of the future" because it's used to test new ideas in a real-life shopping environment.The store at 4870... June 2, 2023

Walmart moves to cut its use of plastic BENTONVILLE -- Walmart Inc. is taking new steps aimed at making it easier for customers to make sustainable choices whether they're buying online or in stores, the company said Wednesday.Of the hu... June 1, 2023

Walmart pharmacists, opticians get raises Walmart Inc. said Wednesday that it has raised wages for about 3,700 of its pharmacists and more than 4,000 opticians.Last year, the Bentonville-based retailer raised pay for 36,000 pharmacy technicia... May 31, 2023

Retailers struggle with political ire Retailers including Walmart Inc. that take a stand on nearly any social or political issue risk coming under fire from activists and should plan in advance for such an event, marketing experts say.Wal... May 27, 2023

Walmart’s Live Better U program now available at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Walmart Inc.'s tuition-free, fully online educational program for employees has added the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, to its roster of approved schools and colleges, the company said Wed... May 26, 2023

Walmart’s Live Better U program now available at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Walmart Inc.’s tuition-free, fully online educational program for employees has added the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, to its roster of approved schools and colleges, the company said W... May 25, 2023

Women in Tech hosts advisory event Tyson Foods Inc.'s Women in Tech group hosted a mentoring event on Tuesday for female students of the Don Tyson School of Innovation in Springdale.Each of the 12 girls at the event met in 10-minut... May 20, 2023

Walmart quarterly revenue up 7.6% High prices and interest rates, along with an uncertain economy, still have nervous consumers at all income levels pinching pennies and looking for bargains on groceries and other necessities.And they... May 19, 2023

Consent decree requires George’s to fork out $5M A Department of Justice filing on Wednesday with poultry producer George's would resolve claims that George's conspired with other poultry processors for years to suppress workers' wages.T... May 18, 2023

Jury says Walmart must pay $19.3M Walmart Inc. must pay $19.3 million to K2 Distribution Co. for breach of contract and other claims, a jury ruled Friday in Washington County Circuit Court.The award is reportedly the largest jury awar... May 16, 2023

Arkansas Children's Hospital plans $318M in expansions at Little Rock, Springdale Arkansas Children’s plans nearly $318 million in expansions at its Little Rock and Springdale locations over the next eight years, the hospital said Friday.Construction at both Arkansas Children... May 5, 2023

Burkes Outlet stores in Arkansas, nation being renamed Bealls All seven Burkes Outlet stores in Arkansas, as well as others around the country, are being renamed Bealls to reflect the outlet chain’s parent company, Bealls Inc. said Thursday in a news relea... May 4, 2023

Walmart now using AI for some vendor deals Walmart Inc. and other large companies are now using artificial intelligence "chatbot" programs to negotiate some of their vendor contracts.Walmart, shipping company Maersk, Wesco Internatio... May 4, 2023

Murphy USA posts drop in 1Q income, revenue Murphy USA Inc. on Tuesday posted a drop in first-quarter income and revenue despite strong fuel sales and customer traffic driving year-over-year merchandise performance.The El Dorado-based chain of ... May 3, 2023

ArcBest’s first quarter net income gains 6% ArcBest Corp. said Friday that it's net income rose nearly 6% to $2.84 per share in the first quarter of its 100th year as a company."As ArcBest celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, I&... April 29, 2023

Walmart expanding health clinics in '24 Walmart Inc. is bringing its Walmart Health clinics to the Oklahoma City area next year, the company said Wednesday.The Bentonville-based retailer said it will also open centers in Missouri and Arizon... April 27, 2023

Walmart sells another e-commerce clothing brand Walmart Inc. is selling off another of its e-commerce clothing brands, just a week after selling menswear line Bonobos at a steep loss.FullBeauty Brands said in a news release Friday that it's buy... April 22, 2023

Walmart report details firm’s efforts at diversity Walmart's annual report on diversity and inclusion at the company shows where it made progress in the past year and where it needs to "lean in."Donna Morris, Walmart's chief people o... April 21, 2023

Walmart borrows $5 billion in the corporate bond market Walmart Inc. is taking on $5 billion in bond debt for "general corporate purposes," the company said in two recent government filings.The notes, issued in varying amounts, interest rates and... April 20, 2023

Walmart’s 1st truck powered by natural gas hits the road Walmart Inc.'s first truck powered by renewable natural gas hit the road Monday on a trip from Bentonville to California.The company said the truck has the first-ever 15-liter renewable natural gas en... April 19, 2023

Walmart Inc.'s chief merchandising officer to exit company Walmart Inc.’s chief merchandising officer will leave the company at the end of May, Walmart said Friday.John Furner, president and chief executive of Walmart U.S., said in a memo to employees t... April 14, 2023

Walmart to have EV charging stations Walmart Inc. plans to set up thousands of electric-vehicle charging stations across the country by 2030.The Bentonville-based retailer will build its own electric-vehicle fast-charging network at Walm... April 11, 2023

Walmart: To profit, firm must automate Walmart executives told investors on Wednesday that plans to increase profitability over the next few years include increasing automation in its stores and warehouses and creating a state-of-the-art s... April 6, 2023

Commercial property vacancy rate at record low in in Benton and Washington counties The overall commercial property vacancy rate in Benton and Washington counties in the second half of 2022 plunged to a record low of 5.6%, according to the Skyline Report released Tuesday.Strong leasi... April 5, 2023