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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 18, 2005

Massachusetts Spends Millions on Healthcare for Chain Store Employees

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/massachusetts-spends-millions-healthcare-chain-store-employees/

Massachusetts spent more than $52 million last year providing healthcare coverage to employees of some of the state’s largest companies, including numerous chain retailers like Wal-Mart, Dunkin Donuts, Stop & Shop, CVS, Home Depot, and Target. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 8, 2005

Montana Considers Tax on Big-Box Stores

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/montana-considers-tax-bigbox-stores/

“That giant sucking sound you hear coming from the edge of town is the sound of money being taken out of your community by big-box stores,” said Montana Senator Ken Toole, who has introduced a bill that would levy a tax on the state’s big-box stores. The bill would impose a progressive tax on stores with more than $20 million in annual sales. Revenue of $20 to $30 million would be taxed at 1 percent. The tax would rise to 1.5 percent for revenue in excess of $30 million and 2 percent for any revenue over $40 million. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2005

Planning Tools for Curbing Chains and Nurturing Homegrown Businesses

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/planning-tools-curbing-chains-and-nurturing-homegrown-businesses/

By now, many community leaders recognize that when chain retail sprawls unchecked, main street loses, not just jobs and businesses, but the very essence of what makes the district unique. Small, independent businesses CAN prosper, however, when planners use the right tools to manage economic growth in the region. This month, we report on some of the most promising new regulatory strategies available. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 28, 2005

Danish Pension Funds Drop Wal-Mart Stock

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/danish-pension-funds-drop-walmart-stock/

The Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (Landsorganisationen or LO) has announced that all of its pension funds will sell their shares of Wal-Mart stock in opposition to the "Walmartization" of wages and working conditions worldwide. "As the company has such a bad reputation, and a directly anti-human corporate philosophy, we see no other alternative than to disqualify Wal-Mart as an object for ethically responsible investment," said Svend Sorensen, president of one LO-affiliated pension fund. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 27, 2005

Bennington, Vermont, Adopts Big-Box Ordinance

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/bennington-vermont-adopts-bigbox-ordinance/

In late January, the Select Board in Bennington, Vermont, voted unanimously to ban stores over 75,000 square feet and to require retail development projects larger than 30,000 square feet to pass a community impact review. Town officials said the measure was needed to ensure adequate review of the economic and community impacts of large-scale retail development, protect the viability of Bennington’s existing commercial areas, and maintain competition by preventing a single retailer from dominating the local market. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 25, 2005

Thousands of Wal-Mart Workers Enrolled in Medicaid

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/thousands-walmart-workers-enrolled-medicaid/

Nearly one-quarter of Wal-Mart’s 37,000 workers in Tennessee rely on Medicaid, according to state officials who released the figures at the request of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.The data show that Wal-Mart has more employees enrolled in TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program, than any other company. Other states have also found that Wal-Mart’s labor practices are placing a heavy burden on public assistance programs. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 19, 2005

Think Local First

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/think-local-first/

Independent business owners in Portland, Oregon, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, have launched a multi-year educational campaigns to persuade residents to "think local first" when shopping. "We’re looking to achieve a percentage change in behavior," said Paul Needham, a founding board member of the Sustainable Business Network of Portland (SBNP), which organized the buy-local initiative. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 14, 2005

Irish Government Relaxes Big-Box Ban

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/irish-government-relaxes-bigbox-ban/

Under pressure from Ikea, Wal-Mart, and Costco, the Irish government has relaxed its seven-year-old cap on the size of retail stores. The changes apply to certain areas of Dublin and eight other towns. The cap, which was adopted on a temporary basis in 1998 and made permanent in 2001, restricted stores selling food (including hypermarkets, which sell both food and non-food merchandise) to no more than 3,500 square meters (38,000 square feet) in Dublin and 3,000 square meters (32,000 square feet) throughout the rest of the country. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 1 Comment | Updated on Dec 23, 2004

Homer, Alaska, Restricts Large Retail Stores

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/homer-alaska-restricts-large-retail-stores/

After two years of consideration—including a review by a city council-appointed task force, numerous public hearings, and a voter referendum—the town of Homer, Alaska, has adopted an ordinance that limits stores to no more than 45,000 square feet and requires retail development projects larger than 15,000 square feet to undergo a community impact review. Homer has a population of about 5,000 and is located on the Kenai Peninsula. Continue reading