Article
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
Stacy Mitchell
|
| Updated on
Dec 8, 2004
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/new-jersey-considers-regional-impact-studies-bigbox-stores/
Lawmakers in New Jersey have proposed legislation that would require communities to weigh the regional economic impact of proposed big-box stores before granting approval. As drafted, the law would apply to stores over 130,000 square feet that sell at least 25,000 items with a minimum of ten percent of their revenue in nontaxable groceries. The measure would therefore cover Wal-Mart, Target, and Kmart supercenters, but would not affect big-box stores that do not sell groceries, such as Home Depot and Staples. Continue reading
Article
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
Stacy Mitchell
|
| Updated on
Dec 6, 2004
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/contract-talks-underway-walmarts-only-unionized-store/
Negotiations that could lead to the first union contract at any of Wal-Mart’s 5,000 stores worldwide began last week in Jonquiere, a town about 250 miles north of Quebec City in Canada. Continue reading
Rule
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
admin
|
| Updated on
Dec 2, 2004
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/rule/internet-sales-tax-fairness/post-2239/
South Dakota law requires the state to purchase goods and services only from companies that collect sales tax on all sales in the state. Continue reading
Article
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
Stacy Mitchell
|
| Updated on
Nov 23, 2004
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/shoppers-urged-break-free-chains/
Independent businesses in two dozen cites joined forces to urge residents to "unchain" themselves on Saturday, November 20, by patronizing only locally owned stores and restaurants that day. The event, dubbed America Unchained, was organized by the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA). The goal, according to AMIBA’s director Jennifer Rockne, was to broaden awareness of the local economic benefit of choosing to shop at locally owned businesses instead of chains. Continue reading
Article
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
Stacy Mitchell
|
| Updated on
Nov 9, 2004
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/bigbox-ballot-initiatives-wins-losses/
Voters in Hudson, Ohio—a community of 23,000 people thirty miles southeast of Cleveland—overwhelmingly rejected a ballot initiative that would have opened the way for big-box stores and allowed developers to skirt the town’s development review process. "We are ecstatic," said Liz Murphy, owner of the Learned Owl bookstore and member of Smart Growth Hudson, a citizens group that formed to defeat the initiative. Continue reading
Article
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
Stacy Mitchell
|
| Updated on
Nov 9, 2004
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/california-lawmakers-seek-drop-walmart-stock-state-pension-fund/
A group of California state lawmakers, led by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, are calling for the legislature to require that the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) sell its 18.8 million shares of Wal-Mart stock, valued at about $1 billion. "The Legislature needs to take a close look at how we put our money behind our values," Lieber told the Associated Press. "Wal-Mart is making a big push to expand in many areas of our state. Continue reading
Article
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
Stacy Mitchell
|
| Updated on
Oct 29, 2004
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/walmart-hinders-poverty-reduction-study-finds/
Counties that gained Wal-Mart stores during the 1990s fared worse in terms of family poverty rates than those that did not, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State’s Center for Economic and Community Development. Wal-Mart often characterizes its stores as beneficial to the working poor. Continue reading
Article
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
Stacy Mitchell
|
| Updated on
Oct 21, 2004
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/independent-businesses-produce-bigger-economic-benefits-study-concludes/
Chicago’s locally owned businesses generate 70 percent more local economic impact per square foot than chain stores, according to a new study. The study, conducted by the firm Civic Economics, analyzed ten locally owned restaurants, retail stores, and service providers in the Andersonville neighborhood on Chicago’s north side and compared them with ten national chains competing in the same categories. Continue reading
Article
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
Stacy Mitchell
|
| Updated on
Oct 8, 2004
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/austin-study-says-city-pays-price-bigboxes/
A coalition of organizations in Austin, Texas, released a report this week that concludes that big-box retailers impose significant costs on the community. It recommends that the city scrutinize big-box projects more thoroughly and adopt a long-range plan to strengthen locally owned businesses. The report reviews and refutes several of the findings of another big-box study commissioned by the city and released in June. Continue reading
Article
filed under
Independent Business
| Written by
Stacy Mitchell
|
| Updated on
Oct 4, 2004
The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/nycs-newsstands-fight-corporate-takeover/
Newsstand owners in New York City have filed a legal challenge to a new law that would transfer ownership of the city’s 300 independent newsstands to a single corporation. Under the law, which was backed by the mayor and endorsed by all but three city councilors, the eclectic newsstands will be replaced by identical kiosks under central ownership. Five companies, including JCDecaux, which manages "street furniture" in 3,500 cities worldwide, are bidding for the contract. Continue reading
