Stacy Mitchell

1 Apr 2003

Puerto Rico Okays Wal-Mart Acquisition

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 Apr 2003 | posted in: Retail | 0

Small business owners are crying foul over an agreement reached between the Puerto Rican government and Wal-Mart. The deal allows Wal-Mart to proceed with its purchase of an island supermarket chain, which will give it control of 40 percent of Puerto Rico’s grocery sales. Last year Wal-Mart won approval from the Federal Trade Commission to purchase the Amigo supermarket chain. Puerto Rican officials said the deal violated local antitrust laws and sued to block the merger. … Read More

1 Apr 2003

Big Box Proposal Tests Regional Planning in Pennsylvania

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 Apr 2003 | posted in: Retail | 0

Wal-Mart wants to build a 150,000-square-foot supercenter in Upper Hanover Township, a rural corner of Pennsylvania about one hour northwest of Philadelphia. The supercenter would anchor a large shopping complex, including twin strip malls on opposite sides of the highway. Two years ago, Wal-Mart would have needed no more than an okay from Upper Hanover officials to proceed.… Read More

1 Apr 2003

Missouri Coalitions Works to End Big Box Subsidies

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 Apr 2003 | posted in: Retail | 0

In Missouri, a coalition of independent businesses and union members are backing a bill that would reform the state’s tax increment financing (TIF) law and put an end to subsidies for suburban big box stores, shopping malls, and other sprawling developments. TIF allows a municipality to issue bonds to pay for part of the costs of a new development. Future tax revenue from the development is then diverted from the public coffers to pay off the bonds.… Read More

1 Apr 2003

Cincinnati Planning Department Abolished at Behest of Big Box Developer

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 Apr 2003 | posted in: Retail | 1

In an effort to reduce a budget deficit and make the city more "developer friendly," in the words of Mayor Charles Luken, Cincinnati has abolished its planning department. Eight staff members and the remnants of the city’s planning activities have been transferred to the community development department. The department will carry out state-mandated functions, such as zoning and historic preservation. Planning will largely be subordinate to economic development. … Read More

1 Apr 2003

Iowa Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Activists, Against Wal-Mart

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 Apr 2003 | posted in: Retail | 0

Years of fighting a Wal-Mart supercenter slated for a flood plain in a rural area of Decorah, Iowa, have finally paid off for a tenacious group of residents and small business owners. On April 2, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the Decorah City Council acted illegally when it approved a Wal-Mart supercenter in the Upper Iowa River flood plain. … Read More

1 Feb 2003

Supermarket Concentration Harms Farmers and Consumers

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 Feb 2003 | posted in: Retail | 0

Supermarket chains in the northeast are using their market power to reap record profits on milk at the expense of both dairy farmers and consumers, according to a new report. The findings are fueling legislative efforts in several New England states to rein in the power of grocery chains. One proposal in Maine would tax big box retailers to support dairy farms.… Read More

1 Feb 2003

Local Stores Create Triple the Economic Activity of Chains

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 Feb 2003 | posted in: Retail | 0

When you spend $100 at the chain Borders Books & Music, your purchase creates only $13 worth of local economic activity. That same $100 spent at locally owned book or record store generates $45, or more than three times as much local economic activity. That’s the conclusion of a new study conducted by Civic Economics and published by Livable City in Austin, Texas. … Read More

1 Feb 2003

German High Court Convicts Wal-Mart of Predatory Pricing

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 Feb 2003 | posted in: Retail | 0

Germany’s highest court has ruled that Wal-Mart’s below-cost pricing strategy undermines competition and violates the country’s antitrust laws. Two years ago, the federal Cartel Office accused Wal-Mart and two other large supermarket chains of selling goods below cost and ordered the companies to raise their prices. The items in question included about a dozen staple products like milk, butter, and vegetable oil.… Read More

1 Feb 2003

Big Box Stores Drain City Revenue, Study Finds

by Stacy Mitchell | Date: 1 Feb 2003 | posted in: Retail | 0

Big box retail, shopping centers, and fast-food restaurants cost taxpayers more than they produce in revenue, according to a fiscal impact analysis in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The study, conducted by Tischler & Associates, compares the tax revenue generated by different kinds of residential and commercial development with the actual cost of providing public services for each land use. Barnstable is a community of 48,000 people on Cape Cod.… Read More

Author Archives: Stacy Mitchell