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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 1, 2001

MAINE TOWN RECRUITS AN INDEPENDENT PHARMACIST

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/maine-town-recruits-independent-pharmacist/

Faced with a gap in the local retail base—no pharmacy or bookstore, for example—city officials almost invariably try to lure a national chain into the community. There often seems to be little alternative: how exactly does a town go about establishing a new independent business to fulfill an important function?

While there’s no obvious path and it may well prove more difficult than attracting a chain, officials of Orono, Maine recently demonstrated that it can be done.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 1, 2001

Ireland Bans Superstores

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

The Irish government has made permanent a temporary cap on the size of retail stores in effect since 1998. The new law restricts stores in the Dublin area to 3,500 square meters (38,000 sq. ft.) and applies a 3,000 square meter (32,000 sq. ft.) limit to the rest of the country.

The policy also requires that new retail stores be located in town centers.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 1, 2001

New Rochelle Residents Turn Out In Force To Block Ikea

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/new-rochelle-residents-turn-out-force-block-ikea/

At a hearing held in mid-November, residents of New Rochelle, New York were finally given an opportunity to comment on a proposed 308,000 square foot Ikea furniture store. They gave city officials an earful. More than 400 people packed City Hall, while hundreds more stood outside.

So many wished to testify that the city was forced to extend the hearings over five nights, taking 18 hours of testimony from more than 200 residents. All but a handful opposed the project.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 3 Comments | Updated on Nov 1, 2000

Wal-Mart Charged With Predatory Pricing

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/walmart-charged-predatory-pricing/

In September, Wal-Mart was hit with three separate charges of predatory pricing. Government officials in Wisconsin and Germany accused the retailer of pricing goods below cost with an intent to drive competitors out of the market. In Oklahoma, Wal-Mart faces a private lawsuit alleging similar illegal pricing practices.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection filed a complaint with an administrative law judge accusing the retailer of violating the state’s antitrust law.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Nov 1, 2000

Wal-Mart Joins Oil Refiner To Overturn Fla. Predatory Pricing Law

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/walmart-joins-oil-refiner-overturn-fla-predatory-pricing-law/

As the story above suggests, Wal-Mart routinely engages in predatory pricing. But the company would prefer not to break the law in the process. To this end, Wal-Mart has joined with Murphy Oil in an effort to repeal a Florida law that prohibits predatory pricing among gasoline retailers.

The two companies financed a "consumer" group, the Coalition for Lower Gas Prices, which contends the Motor Fuel Marketing Practices Act costs Florida consumers $150 million annually in higher gas prices.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Nov 1, 2000

Video Stores Seek Class Action In Suit Against Blockbuster

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/video-stores-seek-class-action-suit-against-blockbuster/

A judge is expected to rule within weeks on whether a lawsuit filed by four independent video stores against Blockbuster Video and seven Hollywood studios may be certified as a class action suit. The suit charges Blockbuster and the studios with attempting to fix prices, a violation of the Sherman Act and California state law. The suit was filed last year in a Texas federal court.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Nov 1, 2000

Cal. Tax Fairness Bill Vetoed; Activists Mobilize For National Fight

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/cal-tax-fairness-bill-vetoed-activists-mobilize-national-fight/

In September, California Governor Gray Davis vetoed a bill that would have clarified state law to require that all retailers with a physical presence in the state collect sales tax on internet transactions.

Despite the veto, the campaign to enact the bill accomplished a great deal by raising awareness and building support for tax fairness at both the state and national level.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Nov 1, 2000

Littering The Landscape With Dead Malls

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/littering-landscape-dead-malls/

As corporate chains have taken over much of the retail economy, they’ve left the American landscape littered with dead malls, vacant strip developments, out-dated outlet centers, and empty big box superstores.

The problem is two-fold. Chain stores are multiplying at a staggering pace and creating a glut of retail space. In the last 12 years alone, per capita retail space has increased 34 percent, from 14.7 to 19.7 square feet. Most communities have more retail space than residents can support.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Nov 1, 2000

Preserving Tucson’s Unique Flavor

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/preserving-tucsons-unique-flavor/

Two years ago, a group of independent restaurant owners in Tucson, Arizona stopped thinking of themselves as competitors and launched a collective effort to counter the rapid expansion of chain restaurants. They formed an organization, Tucson Originals, and pooled resources for group promotion and purchasing. Their success inspired the creation of a national independent restaurant network that hopes to seed similar local alliances in cities across the country.

It all began with an article in a Tucson monthly in 1998.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Nov 1, 2000

Santa Cruz Measure Ensures Diversity Of Downtown Businesses

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/santa-cruz-measure-ensures-diversity-downtown-businesses/

After a 1989 earthquake destroyed virtually all of its central business district, the city of Santa Cruz, California adopted the Downtown Recovery Plan (DRP), a comprehensive policy for rebuilding the downtown in accordance with several community goals. A decade later, many of these objectives have been met. Downtown Santa Cruz is a healthy, pedestrian-oriented mix of commercial, residential, and public uses.

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