Retail

1 Aug 2001

Independent Restaurant Alliances Multiply

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 Aug 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0

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

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 8 Jul 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0

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

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 5 Jun 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0

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

Belfast, Maine Voters Weigh Size Cap

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 May 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0

Sprawl-Busters NewsFlash reports that citizens of Belfast, Maine will vote on whether to limit the size of new retail stores on June 12. The referendum is non-binding, but will provide a guide for the City Council. A temporary moratorium on retail development over 50,000 square feet (slightly larger than a football field) has been in place since last summer. The moratorium was enacted in response to Wal-Mart’s effort to build a supercenter on the edge of town.… Read More

1 May 2001

Halting Predatory Gas Pricing

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 May 2001 | posted in: Retail | 1

Last month, Ed Trudeau, co-owner of the Vista Gas Station in Burlington, Wisconsin, drove an 8,500 gallon tanker truck to a competing Citgo Station for a fill-up. Although he managed to pump only 343 gallons before employees cut the flow, Trudeau made his point. The Citgo had been selling gas below cost, a violation of Wisconsin state law. … Read More

1 May 2001

Booksellers Settle Lawsuit Against Chains

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 May 2001 | posted in: Retail | 4

In late April, the American Booksellers Association (ABA) settled its antitrust case against Barnes & Noble and Borders Books for $4.7 million. The lawsuit charged the two chains with using their market power to bully publishers and wholesalers into providing special discounts and favorable terms that were not made available to independent bookstores.… Read More

1 May 2001

Domini Fund Ditches Wal-Mart Stock

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 May 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0

In February, the Domini Social Equity Fund removed Wal-Mart from its portfolio. The decision to dump the Fund’s 1.2 million shares of Wal-Mart stock was prompted primarily by concerns about the company’s labor and human rights policies abroad. Domini had initially sought to alter Wal-Mart’s practices through shareholder activism. … Read More

1 May 2001

Home Depot Backs Out Of Downtown Portland

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 May 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0

Having saturated rural and suburban markets, big box retailers are making an aggressive push into central cities. In many communities, however, they are facing strong neighborhood opposition. Last year, Home Depot, which has 1,100 outlets worldwide, announced its intention to open a store in the Hollywood neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. The corporation proposed a 4-block, multistory building that would combine a 100,000 square foot store with offices, apartments, small shops, and two levels of above-ground parking.… Read More

1 May 2001

Starbucks Not Welcome In Ocean Beach

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 May 2001 | posted in: Retail | 0

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