Arkansas Business

Store closings and store openings are routine for big retailers, including department store chain Dillard's Inc. of Little Rock, which made news on both ends of the spectrum in a week's time.

First, The Courier-Tribune of Asheboro, N.C., reported that Dillard's will be leaving the Randolph Mall there by June 1. Dillard's has been in that mall, owned by CBL & Associates Properties Inc., since October 2002 and is one of its four anchors. 

Dillard's spokeswoman Julie Bull tells the Courier-Tribune that Dillard's closes stores on based on their performance. Asheboro, a manufacturing town of about 22,000 people, has had a tough go of it amid the recession, as you might remember from this "60 Minutes" report last fall. Still, some residents aren't pleased:

“I can’t believe it,” said Jearline Brown, a regular shopper from Bennett. She and her daughter, Rita Holt of Bear Creek, were perusing the 65 percent off racks.

Frequent Dillard’s shoppers Thelma Barrett, William Simmons and Dion McNair, all of Asheboro, are also unhappy about the store closing.

“Dillard’s is the only store that carries the kind of clothing I like to wear,” McNair said. “I’m upset that they’re closing.”

The Asheboro store is the second Dillard's has closed this year. It announced the closure of its Cache Valley Mall store in Logan, Utah, in January.

Second, Dillard's is in the early stages of a new store north of Cincinnati in Liberty Township, according to the Cincinnati Business Courier.

Dillard's has agreed to take on a 200,000-SF space in the mixed-use development, according to its developer, Steiner + Associates Inc., which plans a 2015 grand opening.

Sam's Club CEO Rosalind Brewer told attendees to Fortune magazine's "Brainstorm Green" conference in California that shoppers soon will begin seeing the benefits of Wal-Mart's sustainability goals.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. CEO Mike Duke unveiled the retailer's "sustainability index" in 2009. The goal: greater transparency so consumers could make informed choices about the products they purchase.

The first two steps of the process involved the retailer gathering information from vendors about the sustainability of products they sell, then using that data to create a one-stop source on just how "green" certain products are.

Now, Wal-Mart is close to the third step: making the data available to consumers. Brewer says Wal-Mart is looking to launch a pilot system offering product sustainability information to consumers within the next 12 months.

Fortune asks:

That's fine, but will it change consumer behavior? There's evidence that it will, Brewer said, especially for Sam's Club members, who are, in general, more affluent than the average Wal-Mart consumer. Sam's Club customers are willing to spend on premium products such as Greek yogurt, grass-fed beef, and organic milk on a consistent basis, a surprising trend considering the current economic environment.

At the conference, Brewer also talked about how Wal-Mart wants to achieve enough sustainability to pass big savings along to customers -- to the tune of $1 billion by 2020.

Meanwhile, Wal-Mart has issued its latest report on all other aspects of what it calls its "global responsbility," in its annual "Global Responsibility Report," which you can download here.

Triple Pundit, a site that looks at how companies meet ecological, social and economic goals, summarizes Wal-Mart's 2013 achievements here. It said Wal-Mart exceeded its goal of reducing global plastic shopping bag waste by 33 percent, eliminating about 10 billion bags. It also made strides in energy efficiency with Chinese suppliers.

University of Arkansas Pine Bluff offensive lineman Terron Armstead was the first player with ties to the state selected over the weekend in the NFL Draft. Armstead was one of seven locals drafted.

While contract details haven’t yet been finalized, we do have an idea of what the seven draft picks could be paid, based on contracts signed by players picked in their slots in 2012.

Below we look at the seven players drafted, where they were picked and potential salary based on 2012 figures.

Salary figures from 2012 draft picks are courtesy spotrac.com.

The Nexstar Broadcasting/Mission Broadcasting juggernaut continues, as a single, $270 million deal gives the two companies control of 19 stations in 10 markets in three states.

The companies are snatching up the properties, which include 10 digital subchannels, from Communication Corporation of America of Boston. 

According to TVSpy:

Under the terms of the agreement, Nexstar will acquire 11 of the CCA stations and Mission will acquire nine. Nexstar and Mission will enter into shared service agreements, according to a statement. The transaction is pending FCC approval and expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The stations are in Louisiana, Texas and Indiana.

The purchases are the latest in a string of acquisitions by the two firms. 

In Little Rock, Mission Broadcasting of Westlake, Ohio, owns KLRT-TV, Channel 16, and KASN-TV, Channel 38; Nexstar Broadcasting of Irving, Texas, owns KARK-TV, Channel 4, and KARZ-TV, Channel 42. The two companies jointly operate all four under an shared services arrangement. Nexstar and Mission have similar set ups in markets throughout the country.

Baggo, the popular tailgate game you've probably played at Razorbacks games, fairs and in your backyard, is made right here in Arkansas. And this week, THV 11 News' Ashely Blackstone goes to Hot Springs to tour the plant, where fun and games is serious business:

Tod Williams, vice president of sales, says peak season starts now and runs through football season. They can produce up to 500 games day.

Last year, they sold several hundred thousand including to 75 Division 1 schools. Ohio State and Arkansas top the list with the most sales.

You can watch video of Blackstone's report above or right here on THV11.com.