23 Jun 2009

Death of the Category Killers

by | Date: 23 Jun 2009 | posted in: Retail | 2 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Borders Books is on "death watch," according to one industry observer. Virgin shut down its last U.S. record store this month. Office Depot and Staples are struggling.  Circuit City is gone.  Best Buy has launched a desperate ad campaign.

While the decline of independent businesses has leveled off, the rest of the retail sector is undergoing dramatic consolidation as a small number of massive companies become ever more dominant. This is an ominous trend for manufacturers and consumers, and it exposes serious flaws in U.S. antitrust policy.  … Read More
5 May 2009

Soaring Credit Card Transaction Fees Squeeze Independent Businesses

by | Date: 5 May 2009 | posted in: Banking, Retail | 8 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Independent businesses are largely at the mercy of Visa and MasterCard when it comes to the fees they must pay every time they swipe a credit card.  These fees, which are ultimately passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices, have soared from $27 billion in 2004 to $48 billion last year (or $427 per household). Recognizing the tremendous market power held by card processors, many countries now regulate credit card transaction fees, setting them at rates as low as one-sixth of what U.S. businesses pay.  … Read More
28 Apr 2009

New Tool Helps Low-Income Communities Evaluate Food Retailers

by | Date: 28 Apr 2009 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

The newly published Sustainable Food Retail Framework aims to help cities struggling with a lack of grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods better balance the need to quickly fill the gaps (a mandate that often favors large supermarket chains) with the advantages of fostering development that delivers more long-term stability and greater economic, community, and environmental benefits (a framework that favors local business). … Read More
12 Mar 2009

Four Corporate Tax Loopholes States Should Close

by | Date: 12 Mar 2009 | posted in: Retail | 2 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Doing so would ease budget shortfalls and restore a measure of fairnessfor small businesses, which lack access to these loopholes and end upshouldering a heavier tax burden than their big competitors. Some evidence even suggests that leveling the playing field may help spur entrepreneurialism and job growth.… Read More
15 Jan 2009

Big, Empty Boxes

by | Date: 15 Jan 2009 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Abandoned big-box stores, dead and dying strip malls and empty storefronts are about to join foreclosed houses as one of the defining features of the American landscape in 2009. It will be tempting to blame the weak economy for all of this wreckage. But the recession has merely been the trigger. This avalanche of vacant retail, much like the mortgage crisis, has been a long time in the making. … Read More
1 Dec 2008

Major Flaws Uncovered in Study Claiming Wal-Mart Has Not Harmed Small Business

by | Date: 1 Dec 2008 | posted in: Retail | 1 Facebooktwitterredditmail

A widely publicized study claims that there is no evidence that Wal-Mart has had a negative impact on the small business sector. In reviewing the study, ILSR found fatal flaws. For example, the study relies on the wrong US Census dataset. Using the correct data, our analysis shows that the number of independent retailers fell as Walmart grew between 1982 and 2002.… Read More

1 … 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 … 79