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Bloomberg News, March 4, 2013 Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke delivered upbeat news to the company’s semi-annual Sustainability Milestones Meeting in November 2009. The world’s largest retailer was on track to hit 36 of the 37 energy and environment goals Duke’s predecessor set for the company in 2005. Not everyone in the audience responded with glee. “When … Read More
Various Media Outlets, February 2013 ILSR’s annual Independent Business Survey gathers data from thousands of locally owned, independent businesses across the country. The 2013 Independent Business Survey, gathered data from 2,377 independent businesses across 50 states and the District of Columbia. Among its findings: Survey respondents reported revenue growth of 6.8% on average. More than two-thirds experienced … Read More
In response to the reintroduction of the Marketplace Fairness Act in the U.S. Senate today, Stacy Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance released the following statement.
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ILSR’s annual survey has found that independent businesses experienced solid revenue growth in 2012, buoyed in part by “buy local first” initiatives. But the survey also documented challenges facing independent businesses, most notably an increase in “showrooming” and competition from online retailers, tax and subsidy policies that favor their big competitors, difficulty obtaining loans, and a customer base still reeling from the recession.… Read More
TEDx, January 21, 2013 This Monday, Barack Obama will be sworn in to serve his second term as President of the United States. The challenges he will face over the next four years are unlikely to be any easier than those he faced in his first term. These 14 talks dare to explore the domestic and … Read More
Columbia Journalism Review, January 18, 2013 Reuters reports that Amazon’s fourth quarter results may take a hit from new laws that force it to collect sales taxes in California, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Best Buy says its online sales outperformed in those three states compared to the rest of the country, while analysts say Amazon’s sales look … Read More
The Tyee, January 17, 2013 It’s a typically cold and rainy December morning on a rooftop in downtown Vancouver. The revolving restaurant atop the Harbour Centre skyscraper peeks above some closer buildings to the north, the pious spire of the Holy Rosary Cathedral marks south. Steps away, the concrete roof supports a massive greenhouse filled with … Read More
On January 12, 2013, ILSR’s Stacy Mitchell was a guest on Michael Olson’s syndicated Food Chain radio show, where they discussed the shocking level of corporate consolidation in the economy and debated whether we can shop our way back to a strong local economy.… Read More
The Washington Post, January 15, 2013 Why wait on Washington when there’s Wal-Mart? Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer and the biggest private employer in the U.S. with 1.4 million workers here, said Tuesday that it is rolling out a three-part plan to help jumpstart the sluggish U.S. economy. The plan includes hiring more than … Read More
