26 Jul 2004

Independents Week Celebrated Nationwide

by | Date: 26 Jul 2004 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

During the week of July 4th, thousands of independent businesses in a dozen cities around the country celebrated Independents Week—seven days of educational and promotional events designed to draw attention to the importance of supporting locally owned businesses. "The trend of chains displacing our hometown businesses will continue unless communities realize what’s at stake," said Jennifer Rockne, director of the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA), which organized Independents Week.… Read More
1 Apr 2004

Surprise Defeat for Wal-Mart in Inglewood

by | Date: 1 Apr 2004 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In a stunning upset that made headlines around the globe, voters in Inglewood, California, overwhelmingly defeated a ballot measure on April 6 that would have opened the way for a massive Wal-Mart supercenter. The final tally was 7,049 against and 4,575 in favor. The unprecedented measure would have given Wal-Mart complete control over a 60-acre site, allowing it to bypass the public process and build a supercenter and other chain retail stores without any of the normal environmental, traffic, or zoning reviews. … Read More
1 Apr 2004

Peterborough Residents Nix Stop & Shop Superstore

by | Date: 1 Apr 2004 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

By a 2-to-1 margin, residents of Peterborough, New Hampshire, voted to reject a plan to build a giant Stop & Shop superstore on the outskirts of town. Peterborough is a community of 6,000 people about an hour west of Manchester. "We’re a small, closely knit town with strong affection for our local merchants," said Jane LaPointe, one of several residents who spoke out against the development and distributed information on the impacts of big box stores in the weeks leading up to the vote. … Read More
1 Apr 2004

Scottsdale Voters Overturn Big Box Subsidy

by | Date: 1 Apr 2004 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In March, voters in Scottsdale, Arizona, overwhelmingly rejected a plan to provide a massive public subsidy for a 42-acre big box development anchored by a Wal-Mart supercenter and a Lowe’s Home Improvement store. The plan, which was approved by the city council last year, allowed the developer to keep 49 percent of all the sales taxes generated by the shopping center over the next 40 years. Accounting for interest and inflation, the total value of the subsidy is estimated at $183 million.… Read More
1 Apr 2004

Community-Owned Stores Provide Alternative to Chains

by | Date: 1 Apr 2004 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

RKG concluded that Middlebury consumers are spending nearly $7 million elsewhere each year and recommended that the city stem the leakage by enticing Wal-Mart to build a supercenter. But many Middlebury residents refuse to accept the inevitability of the low-wage retailing giant. They have their own ideas about solving Middlebury’s dilemma. They want to open a community-owned department store in the center of town.… Read More
1 Apr 2004

Corvallis Business Alliance Urges Residents to Shop Locally

by | Date: 1 Apr 2004 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Three years ago, after learning that Borders Books & Music planned to open an outlet in Corvallis, Oregon, Jack Wolcott, who has owned a local bookstore, Grass Roots Books & Music, for more than thirty years, contacted Bob Baird of The Book Bin and several other local business owners whose stores were likely to be affected by the chain. They began meeting, at first discussing a possible legal challenge to Borders and ultimately deciding instead to organize local businesses and launch a public education effort.… Read More
1 Apr 2004

Report Finds Wal-Mart’s Low Wages Cost Taxpayers Millions

by | Date: 1 Apr 2004 | posted in: Retail | 1 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Taxpayers are picking up the tab for Wal-Mart’s low wages and meager benefits, according to a new congressional report. Prepared by the Democratic staff of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and released by Rep. George Miller in February, the report concludes that the federal government is providing an average of $2,100 annually in public assistance per Wal-Mart employee. … Read More

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