1 Oct 2001

Protecting Historic Buildings From Chain Drugstores

by | Date: 1 Oct 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Several years ago the major drugstore chains—CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Eckerd—lost interest in strip malls and began to focus their expansion plans on prominent downtown intersections. As Walgreens CEO Daniel Jorndt told the New York Times, the chain’s preferred location these days is "the corner of Main and Main." Often, of course, these intersections are occupied by some of the community’s oldest and most significant buildings. … Read More
5 Sep 2001

Rogue Agencies Gut State Banking Laws

by | Date: 5 Sep 2001 | posted in: Banking | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

The only reason you’re not afraid of the Office of the Comptroller of Currency and the Office of Thrift Supervision is because you don’t know what they do. Called indentured servants to the national banking industry, they are dismantling the state regulatory system piece by piece, with nothing more than a polite scolding from Congress. If … Read More
27 Aug 2001

Back the Dairy Compact

by | Date: 27 Aug 2001 | posted in: agriculture | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Published by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Midwestern lawmakers are working vigorously to defeat congressional reauthorization of the Northeast Dairy Compact, scheduled to expire in September. Dairy farms in the Midwest are failing at an alarming rate and the compact has been widely blamed for their demise. It’s a tempting scapegoat, but in fact has nothing to … Read More
1 Aug 2001

Consumers Don’t Buy Wal-Mart Rap On Gasoline Law

by | Date: 1 Aug 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

As we reported in recent issues of this Bulletin, Wal-Mart is lobbying several state legislatures to repeal laws that bar below-cost sales of gasoline. Wal-Mart is installing gas stations in the parking lots of hundreds of its superstores. By selling gas below its wholesale cost, Wal-Mart hopes to draw shoppers into its stores and eliminate independent competitors. The problem is, many states have laws that require retailers to sell gas at a minimum mark-up. … Read More
1 Aug 2001

Independent Restaurant Alliances Multiply

by | Date: 1 Aug 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Alex Pryor, owner of Zin Restaurant in Kansas City, has been watching in frustration as the city’s independent restaurants give way to national chains. Although the chains are often outmatched by the independents in terms of quality and service, their considerable resources enable them to gobble up prime locations and to buy market share through extensive advertising. Upscale chain restaurants have also grown increasingly clever at hiding their chain identity and appearing to be unique, locally owned businesses.… Read More
1 Aug 2001

Independent Pharmacies On The Rebound

by | Date: 1 Aug 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

After more than a decade of decline, independent pharmacies are beginning to make a comeback. Last year, 244 new independent pharmacies opened, according to the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA). By comparison, the top three pharmacy chains had a combined increase of 234 stores last year. Walgreens posted a net gain of 344 new stores, CVS was up 35 stores, and Rite Aid had a net loss of 145 stores. The increase in independent pharmacies is a sharp turnaround from the last decade. … Read More
1 Aug 2001

Hudson Valley Communities Fight CVS

by | Date: 1 Aug 2001 | posted in: Retail | 2 Facebooktwitterredditmail

A firestorm of protest has swept the Hudson River region of New York in response to CVS’s plans to open stores in nearly a dozen village centers. Having saturated strip malls and highways, chain drugstores in recent years have focused increasingly on Main Street locations. In the Hudson region, CVS has cut deals to lease sites formerly occupied by grocery stores in several village centers. Ten of the sites were Grand Union outlets, a regional grocery chain that recently filed for bankruptcy. … Read More
1 Aug 2001

Brooklyn Neighborhood Defeats Ikea

by | Date: 1 Aug 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In June, the Swedish furniture chain Ikea dropped its proposal to build a 300,000 square foot store on 9-acre site in Brooklyn. The defeat is Ikea’s second in the New York region this year. In February, organized opposition from small business owners and residents forced Ikea to back out of plans to open a store in New Rochelle. The Brooklyn site is located near Gowanus Canal in a predominantly residential neighborhood. Once the location of a coal transfer station, the land is currently owned by the US Postal Service.… Read More
1 Aug 2001

Belfast Voters Outlaw Big Box Stores

by | Date: 1 Aug 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In June, residents of Belfast, Maine voted 2-to-1 to ban retail stores larger than 75,000 square feet. They also elected two big box opponents to the City Council by substantial margins. Belfast, located in the fast-growing mid-coast region about two and a half hours north of Portland, has a population of 6,400. It’s 18th century downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. … Read More

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