Amazon Closes on $3.2M Land Purchase in Little Rock Port
Seattle-based retail giant Amazon has officially closed on its $3.2 million acquisition of city-owned land at the Little Rock Port. read more >
Retail
Executive Forecast, Part 2: Business Leaders in Arkansas Look Ahead
A sampling of business leaders give their forecasts for the next six months of business amid COVID-19. Part two of two. read more >
Video: Economist Michael Pakko on COVID-19 and Arkansas' Economy
Michael Pakko, chief economist and state economic forecaster at the Arkansas Economic Development Institute at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, talks about the state of Arkansas' economy amid COVID-19. read more >
US Retail Sales Dropped 16% in April As Virus Froze Economy
U.S. retail sales tumbled 16.4% from March to April as business shutdowns caused by the coronavirus kept shoppers away, threatened stores across the country and weighed down a sinking economy. read more >
COVID-19 Closures Drive Dillard's to $162M 1Q Loss
Department store chain Dillard's Inc. of Little Rock, rocked by the economic effects of store closures amid COVID-19, reported a $162.0 million net loss in its first quarter. read more >
New York Firm Invests in Zips Car Wash
Atlantic Street Capital, a New York-based private equity firm, announces a partnership with Brett Overman and growth investment in Zips Car Wash of Little Rock. read more >
Industry Abuzz as First-Year Medical Marijuana Sales Top $75M in Arkansas
Arkansas' new medical marijuana industry completed its first year this week with a tsunami of sales, with the year of revenue topping $75 million, a startling 40 percent of that coming since March 1. read more >
Asa Hutchinson 'Distressed' by People Not Distancing
Arkansas' governor says he's “distressed" by reports of people in the state not socially distancing because of the coronavirus, but he doesn't regret allowing businesses shuttered by the virus to reopen. read more >
Companies Can Register Now for Best Places to Work Program
Registration for Arkansas Business' annual Best Places to Work program is now open. read more >
Mega Valero in North Little Rock Sold for $2.2M
This week's parade of million-dollar real estate transactions starts in North Little Rock and ends in North Little Rock. read more >
Norman Clifton Mines Property for Hidden Value
From battered autos to bruised real estate, North Little Rock businessman Norman Clifton has made a lifelong career out of the reclamation business. read more >
Cantrell Drug Looks For a Buyer, Again
Cantrell Drug Co. hopes its next potential buyer can close the deal to purchase the Little Rock drug compounding company out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. read more >
Landlords, Tenants Share Boat as Bills Roll In
For landlords, reduced business activity and unemployment growth threaten to affect rent collections, either from commercial enterprises or from residential tenants. read more >
Hathaway Group's Stuart Mackey Predicts Faster Recovery from Recession Than '08
Stuart Mackey, the Hathaway Group's EVP, says working from home will never completely replace traditional office settings. read more >
Slicing 600 Main Building Yields $8.8M Transaction (Real Deals)
The North Little Rock Downtown Development Board sold property to the Arkansas Automobile Dealers Association, the city of North Little Rock and Eleven-One Consortium LLC. read more >
In an Odd Tourism Week, LRCVB's Gretchen Hall Looks Ahead
Gretchen Hall was finishing up an odd National Travel and Tourism Week on Friday, touring local and national sites virtually while cautiously looking forward to a revival in business for the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau. read more >
What Employers Should Know About the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Commentary)
A look at the new Families First Coronavirus Response Act and things employers must know when applying it to their workforce. read more >
Tenants Wait to Take Jonesboro Mall's Measure
While Arkansas' phased, reopening of businesses is underway, tenants of the storm-ravaged Mall at Turtle Creek in Jonesboro are trying to figure out where their businesses are going to be. read more >
State Will Take 'Ready for Business' Applications Tuesday, Wednesday
The "Arkansas Ready for Business" grant program is set to go live and take applications from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. read more >
April Tax Collections Show Virus' Toll in Arkansas
State tax officials say Arkansas' April net available general revenue was $537.3 million, down 28.5% from the same month last year and 49.4% above forecast. read more >
Work, Shop, Play (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note)
I have never been a shopaholic, but the convenience of ordering that nonperishable, nonemergency thing that I would otherwise add to a shopping list may be the ruin of me. read more >
Mall Giant Hit by Virus
The coronavirus pandemic is kicking Dillard's Inc. while it's down, says Texas A&M University Professor Venkatesh Shankar. read more >
At Doorsteps and Curbsides, Age of Delivery Has Arrived
COVID-19 precautions have changed customer behavior as record numbers of purchasers go online, and restaurants and retailers adjust. read more >
Logistics Experts Say Supply Chain Unbroken
The American consumer culture and the supply chain it depends on have both been put to the test by the restrictions and safety precautions of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. read more >
Little Rock Port Loses Its Chance at a Record
Bryan Day had big expectations in 2020 for the Little Rock Port Authority. read more >
Coronavirus Could Change the Global Supply Chain (Doug Voss Commentary)
Retailers, hospitals and others now face shortages from the mundane, like toilet paper, to the lifesaving, like personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals and COVID-19 testing kits. read more >
Is There Joy in Consumerville? (Craig Douglass On Consumers)
Are shoppers looking for essentials or a distraction, or are they shopping for items to fit a changing lifestyle, both while at home as well as after the crisis has passed (whenever that may be)? The answer appears to be yes, yes and yes. read more >
Dillard's to Reopen Stores on Tuesday
Dillard's Inc. will reopen 55 of its stores Tuesday that had been temporarily closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. read more >
Hutchinson: Business Aid Fund Jumped the Gun, Will Be Back
Gov. Asa Hutchinson says that a $15 million state-administered fund to help Arkansas small businesses reopen took applications "prematurely" yesterday, and that his administration hopes to relaunch the fund next week. read more >
Arkansas to Lift Some Restrictions on Gyms, Fitness Centers on Monday
Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he will lift some COVID-19 restrictions on gyms, fitness centers and indoor athletic facilities on Monday. read more >
Editors' Picks
