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Featured Resource filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Aug 22, 2012

Stacy Mitchell Talks Walmart and the Future of Big-Box Retail on San Francisco’s KALW

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/stacy-mitchell-interview-kalw/

ILSR’s Stacy Mitchell was a guest on Your Call on San Francisco public radio station KALW. She joined host Rose Aguilar and Charles Fishman, author of The Wal-Mart Effect, for an hour-long conversation about how Walmart came to dominate the economy and what local business owners and retail workers are doing to counter its market power. Continue reading

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Featured Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 14 Comments | Updated on Jul 18, 2012

Local Ownership Makes Communities Healthier, Wealthier and Wiser

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

Most policymakers don’t imagine that their economic development decisions will affect such things as voter turnout or the prevalence of chronic disease. But a growing body of research is finding that scale and ownership of business matter in ways that extend far beyond economic outcomes. Continue reading

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Featured Article, ILSR Press Room, Resource filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 9 Comments | Updated on Mar 7, 2012

New Report: Walmart’s Greenwash

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/new-report-walmarts-greenwash/

In this new report, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance documents how Walmart’s heavily promoted sustainability initiatives are falling short. “Walmart’s sustainability campaign has done more to improve the company’s image than to help the environment,” said Stacy Mitchell, the report’s author and a senior researcher at ILSR. Continue reading

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Featured Resource filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 65 Comments | Updated on Dec 22, 2011

Key Studies on Big-Box Retail & Independent Business

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/key-studies-walmart-and-bigbox-retail/

We have compiled the best research on how big-box retailers and independent businesses affect communities and local economies. You will find summaries of the findings of dozens of studies that examine the impact of Walmart and other big retailers on jobs, small businesses, tax revenue, poverty rates, and more, as well as research on the social and economic contributions of independent businesses. Continue reading

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 2 Comments | Updated on Sep 10, 2011

Don’t Subsidize Big Boxes at Local Shops’ Expense

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/dont-subsidize-big-boxes-local-shops-expense/

Handing out multimillion-dollar subsidies to large chains has become commonplace in much of the country. But when governments use public money to woo national chains, economic growth and job creation are negligible, and independent retailers suffer, Stacy Mitchell argues in this commentary for Business Week.

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Resource filed under Independent Business | Written by admin | No Comments | Updated on Dec 6, 2010

Stacy Mitchell Interview on Detroit Public Radio

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/stacy-mitchell-interview-wdet-radios-craig-fahle-show/

Stacy Mitchell is interviewed on the Craig Fahle Show on WDET in Detroit on the issues around big box retail and independent businesses. The show aired on December 1, 2010.   
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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Jul 28, 2010

Why Does Target have a Subsidiary in Bermuda?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/why-does-target-have-subsidiary-bermuda/

A growing number of big corporations are using offshore tax havens to escape paying U.S. taxes. A recent estimate suggests big companies are dodging at least $37 billion a year — and, in so doing, gaining a significant competitive advantage over small businesses. Continue reading

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Featured Resource filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Dec 1, 2009

Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America’s Independent Businesses

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/bigbox-swindle-true-cost-megaretailers-and-fight-americas-independent-businesses/

Big-Box Swindle was named one of the top ten business books of the year by Booklist and described by Bill McKibben as “the ultimate account of the single most important economic trend in our country.” Continue reading

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Justin Dahlheimer | 1 Comment | Updated on Nov 9, 2009

Voters Reject Massive Big-Box Complex in Mendocino County, California

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/voters-reject-massive-bigbox-complex-mendocino-county-california/

Despite being outspent 12-to-1, a grassroots group campaigning against a plan to build a massive big-box complex in Mendocino County, California, won a decisive victory when voters rejected the project by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. Continue reading

Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Justin Dahlheimer | 1 Comment | Updated on Sep 16, 2009

Santa Rosa Rejects Big Box and Goes Local

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/santa-rosa-rejects-big-box-and-goes-local/

In a crowed public hearing room, the city council of Santa Rosa, California, soundly defeated a proposed Lowe’s store on a 5-2 vote. The vote was a victory for the GoLocal Cooperative, a county-wide coalition of local businesses and residents working localize the region’s economy.  Continue reading