Retail

1 Apr 2003

Shenandoah Valley Residents Fight Big Box Development

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

Citizens in Front Royal, Virginia, a town of 13,000 in the Shenandoah Valley, are organizing to block a 184,000-square-foot Wal-Mart superstore. The development is slated for 121-acre tract of flood plain land bordering the south fork of the Shenandoah River. In order to proceed, Wal-Mart must convince the town to re-zone the land from residential to commercial. Residents have organized under the banner "Save Our Gateway" to fight the project. … Read More

1 Apr 2003

Independent Business Alliances Forms in Santa Fe

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

Local businesses, nonprofit organization, and residents are uniting in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to bolster the local economy and build a more self-reliant community. The Santa Fe Independent Business Community Alliance (SFIBCA) formed in December and has already attracted more than 370 members. About 60 percent of the members are independent businesses supplying a broad range of goods and services: bookstores, pharmacies, banks, radio stations, auto repair shops, accountants, printers, builders, beauty salons, and physicians. … Read More

1 Apr 2003

Coalitions Key to Survival of Independent Music Stores

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

Album sales dropped more than 11 percent last year. Forecasts predict they will dive another 6 percent this year. The internet is partly to blame; the record industry says 2.6 billion music files are downloaded from the internet each month, many of which are burned to CDs. Music is also facing competition from other forms of entertainment, especially among teenagers, who are spending more money on DVDs and electronic games. Radio consolidation hasn’t helped either. … Read More

1 Apr 2003

Thailand Adopts Local Planning to Control Superstores

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

The Thai government has issued a new directive designed to control the expansion of superstores. The measure requires provinces to establish committees to draft new planning rules that stipulate where large-scale stores may locate. The directive covers all of Thailand’s 76 provinces, except Bangkok and three other major cities, which already have zoning in place. The government estimates it will take three years to implement land use planning nationwide.… Read More

1 Apr 2003

Britain to Review Supermarket Merger

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

In March, British officials launched an inquiry to examine the competitive impacts of a merger between two of the country’s top supermarket chains. The findings could derail attempts by Britain’s top three and number five chains—Tesco, Sainsbury, Wal-Mart-owned Asda, and Morrison—to purchase the fourth largest grocery chain, Safeway.… Read More

1 Feb 2003

Charleston Merchants Join Forces to Promote Local Stores

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

A dozen independent businesses in Charleston, West Virginia, have banded together to promote one another and the idea of supporting locally owned businesses. In November, the group began running print, television, and radio advertisements. The print ads read, "Supporting your locally owned stores keeps your dollars in our community. … 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

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

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