1 Aug 2001

Brooklyn Neighborhood Defeats Ikea

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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

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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
1 Aug 2001

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

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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

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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
8 Jul 2001

Belfast votes in self-defense

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By a nearly 2-1 margin, Belfast voters recently endorsed a measure to limit new retail stores to no more than 75,000 square feet. The law will keep Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and other "big box" retailers out of the community. The Belfast vote is part of a growing nationwide movement. In the last few years alone, more than 100 cities and towns have rejected big box stores. … Read More
5 Jun 2001

Midway Home Depot Dismantles Concept of Quality of Life

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Home Depot wants to build one of its giant stores with a multiacre parking lot on the corner of Lexington Parkway and University Avenue. The St. Paul City Council has authorized city officials to negotiate a financing package with the Atlanta-based corporation that could include as much as $5 million in tax increment financing (TIF), a form of public subsidy. Once a formal plan is submitted, the City Council will vote on whether to approve the development. Supporterscontend Home Depot will generate new jobs and tax revenue. But numerous studies have found that these giant chain retailers destroy about as many jobs and as much tax revenue as they create. This is because retail spending in a given market is a relatively fixed pie. Adding a massive amount of new retail in one location — in this case an estimated $40 million in annual sales — will invariably cause revenue to decline at established local businesses.Many of these businesses will be forced to downsize or close. The resulting job and tax losses will substantially offset the gains created by Home Depot. … Read More
1 May 2001

Starbucks Not Welcome In Ocean Beach

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More than 300 residents turned out for a Town Council meeting last month in Ocean Beach, California to voice their opposition to Starbucks. The chain plans to open a store on Newport Avenue, one of the main drags running through this town of 15,000 just north of San Diego. "There has never been a chain store on this street," noted Dawna Perkins, a member of the Town Planning Board. Ocean Beach is home to numerous locally owned businesses, including eleven coffee shops. … Read More
1 May 2001

Glendale Voters Reject Supercenter

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On May 15, the citizens of Glendale, Arizona voted to uphold city zoning rules that will prevent Wal-Mart from building a 220,000 square foot, 24-hour supercenter. Nearly 60 percent of voters favored maintaining the zoning and keeping Wal-Mart out. In 1999, the City Council rezoned a 39 acre site from agricultural to commercial in order to allow construction of a shopping center. City officials and nearby residents were led to believe that the center would house small, neighborhood-serving shops in a pedestrian-oriented design.… Read More

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