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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

Supermarket Concentration Harms Farmers and Consumers

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/supermarket-concentration-harms-farmers-and-consumers/

Supermarket chains in the northeast are using their market power to reap record profits on milk at the expense of both dairy farmers and consumers, according to a new report.

The findings are fueling legislative efforts in several New England states to rein in the power of grocery chains. One proposal in Maine would tax big box retailers to support dairy farms.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

Taos, New Mexico, Battles Big Boxes… Again

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/taos-new-mexico-battles-big-boxes-again/

Hundreds of citizens packed a Town Council meeting in Taos, New Mexico, in late January to voice their opposition to a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter.

With the meeting room filled to capacity, many were forced to sit out the proceedings in other rooms, hallways, and even outside the building. More than 70 people testified against the development over a three-and-a-half hour period. Opponents wore green ribbons to identify themselves and presented a petition with 6,800 signatures.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

German High Court Convicts Wal-Mart of Predatory Pricing

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

Germany’s highest court has ruled that Wal-Mart’s below-cost pricing strategy undermines competition and violates the country’s antitrust laws.

Two years ago, the federal Cartel Office accused Wal-Mart and two other large supermarket chains of selling goods below cost and ordered the companies to raise their prices. The items in question included about a dozen staple products like milk, butter, and vegetable oil.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

Wal-Mart’s Purchase of Puerto Rico Chain Challenged

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/walmarts-purchase-puerto-rico-chain-challenged/

Puerto Rico’s Department of Justice has asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to block Wal-Mart’s acquisition of the island’s largest grocery store chain, Supermercados Amigo Inc. The outcome of the case could affect the ability of states to review and challenge mergers.

Wal-Mart already operates 19 outlets in Puerto Rico, including eight Sam’s Club stores and one supercenter.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

Historic Georgia Community Fights Wal-Mart

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/historic-georgia-community-fights-walmart/

Two churches and a long-time resident of the historic Sandfly community near Savannah, Georgia, have sued city and county officials to block a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter. The lawsuit claims the officials violated planning and zoning laws in approving the development.

Settled by slaves in the 1700s, Sandfly is one of the nation’s oldest African-American communities. Until recently, most homes is this tight-knit village were built by residents themselves with everyone in the community pitching in to help.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

Local Stores Create Triple the Economic Activity of Chains

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/local-stores-create-triple-economic-activity-chains/

When you spend $100 at the chain Borders Books & Music, your purchase creates only $13 worth of local economic activity. That same $100 spent at locally owned book or record store generates $45, or more than three times as much local economic activity.

That’s the conclusion of a new study conducted by Civic Economics and published by Livable City in Austin, Texas.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

Midcoast Maine Residents Oppose Coastal Home Depot

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/midcoast-maine-residents-oppose-coastal-home-depot/

Residents of the midcoast region of Maine are petitioning the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the US Coast Guard to deny permits to a planned Home Depot store in the town of Rockland.

The 100,000-square-foot store is slated for a 24-acre site along the coast near Route 1. The project was approved by the Rockland Planning Commission in October. It still needs permits from the DEP, which is accepting public comment through February and is expected to issue a decision in March.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

Big Box Stores Drain City Revenue, Study Finds

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/big-box-stores-drain-city-revenue-study-finds/

Big box retail, shopping centers, and fast-food restaurants cost taxpayers more than they produce in revenue, according to a fiscal impact analysis in Barnstable, Massachusetts.

The study, conducted by Tischler & Associates, compares the tax revenue generated by different kinds of residential and commercial development with the actual cost of providing public services for each land use. Barnstable is a community of 48,000 people on Cape Cod.

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

McDonald’s Defeated in Oaxaca, Mexico

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/mcdonalds-defeated-oaxaca-mexico/

Officials of Oaxaca, Mexico, have turned down an application by McDonald’s to open an outlet in a 500-year-old plaza at the center of town. "There are values that we have to preserve, such as our traditions and culture," city leader Gabino Cue Monteagudo said. A local ordinance allows local officials to reject development projects that endanger the city’s cultural heritage. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Feb 1, 2003

British Government Rejects Big Box Sprawl

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/british-government-rejects-big-box-sprawl/

In a move that could derail big box development projects throughout England, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has rejected a bid by the furniture chain Ikea to build a 300,000-square-foot store (seven times the size of a football field) outside the city of Stockport.

In a letter explaining his decision, Deputy Prime Minister Prescott said the proposed store violated several provisions of both national and local planning policy.

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