Old site category
This presentation presents the key findings of the 2014 Independent Business Survey. It includes new data on the impact of “buy local” campaigns; a ranking of the biggest challenges facing small businesses, from online competitors to the difficulty of obtaining financing; and information on the public policy changes that small business owners believe would most help their businesses.… Read More
When Walmart’s top executives organized a live broadcast event to present what they claimed was progress in greening the company’s operations, ILSR joined with leaders of OUR Walmart and Environmental Action to produce a live webcast response attended by hundreds of environmental activists. Click through to watch our 45-minute event.… Read More
Bangor Daily News, February 18, 2014 PORTLAND, Maine — About two-thirds of independent Portland businesses saw sales increases in 2013, but many reported struggling with high health insurance and marketing costs, according to the results of two surveys released this week by the organization Portland Buy Local. The surveys — which attracted the most responses from … Read More
The New Yorker, February 17, 2014 Amazon is a global superstore, like Walmart. It’s also a hardware manufacturer, like Apple, and a utility, like Con Edison, and a video distributor, like Netflix, and a book publisher, like Random House, and a production studio, like Paramount, and a literary magazine, like The Paris Review, and a grocery … Read More
Summit Daily, February 17, 2014 A new nationwide survey of independent business owners shows pro-local attitudes are growing and driving customer traffic. In Summit County, the educational efforts of the Summit Independent Business Alliance (SIBA) have also helped improve a “Buy Local” mentality. The seventh-annual survey by the Institute for Local Self Reliance (ILSR) looked at … Read More
Indianapolis Business Journal, February 15, 2014 Even as retail development continues to proliferate just outside Zionsville’s borders, town officials say they remain committed to an 8-year-old zoning ordinance banning big-box stores. The Boone County community is making an unprecedented push to attract commercial investment and has landed $60 million in projects in less than a year. … Read More
Albuquerque Journal, February 7, 2014 Independent businesses in communities that have “buy local” campaigns saw revenues grow by 7 percent in 2013, triple the growth rate of businesses in areas without such efforts, a new study says. The revenue growth rate for businesses in areas without “buy local” efforts was 2.3 percent, said the study by … Read More
Credit Union Times, February 6, 2014 As the number of credit unions supporting small businesses through cash mobs continues to grow, the industry’s interest may be in line with communities that favor patronizing local shops. According to a survey of 2,602 small business owners conducted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit research and … Read More
A survey of 2,602 independent business owners across the U.S. has found that the Buy Local message is boosting customer traffic and improving the outlook on Main Street. But entrepreneurs also say policymakers need to do more to create a level playing field and ensure that small local businesses have an equal opportunity to compete.… Read More
