Seventh Generation is an organic cleaning products company based in Burlington, Vermont. The company says it is the nation’s leading brand of non-toxic and environmentally
The United Church of Christ (UCC), a community of faith founded in 1957 and based in Cleveland, Ohio, has taken on Wal-Mart’s corporate behavior. In
Township Planners in Spring, Pennsylvania took a little spring out of Wal-Mart’s step this week when they voted against a conditional use permit for a
Last week, representatives from Sprawl-Busters, as part of a larger coalition, attended the annual shareholders meeting of TIAA-CREF, the nation’s largest pension fund, with holdings
For those who wonder if its worth it for citizens to go to court to stop big box sprawl, consider the case this week from
Citizens in Independence, Michigan (pop. 32,000) want to protect their independence from big box stores by building up a war chest to fight them legally
The growing interest in communities fighting big box sprawl has led to scheduling of a “site fight” conference in St. Petersburg, Florida. Sprawl-Busters is one
What does a pair of underwear, boots made out of snake skin, a Bloody Mary mix, and a pair of headphones have to do with
Mayor Jim Bernard of Milwaukie, Oregon has a simple message for his friend Mayor Tom Potter of Portland, Oregon: Don’t let Wal-Mart destroy our downtown.
Anti-Wal-Mart activists took their case to City Hall this week in protest of plans to build a Wal-Mart supercenter at Carriage Place. The proposal requires
Local officials in Fabius, Michigan think Wal-Mart is the solution to their revenue woes, but other local residents say Wal-Mart brings the woes only. Citizens
All it takes is the smell of a big box store to get local citizens upset. Here’s a brief report filed from Paramus, New Jersey:
So far, so good in Newport News, Virginia. Local officials have handed Wal-Mart a major setback this week, but local residents are not celebrating yet.
Fortune magazine this week has a major story about China as Wal-Mart’s new cash cow, but things are not so bright in the land of
The City Council in El Cajon, California may be looking at a lawsuit from its own citizens in the wake of their decision to approve
Wal-Mart has discovered the environment. Yes, that same environment its been damaging for more than four decades. The giant retailer now is repairing its ways,
The following report came in this week to Sprawl-Busters from residents in Denver, North Carolina, who have formed the group Denver First: “Wal-Mart filed for
A developer from Wisconsin has announced that the company is leaving Grandville, Michigan and going back to Wisconsin, abandoning an ill-fated Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club
School officials in San Bruno, California learned a painful lesson this week when rumors began circulating that the schools had contacted Wal-Mart over a “surplus”
From the heartland of America, here’s another David v. Goliath story from Papillion, Nebraska to Sprawl-Busters: “Eleven brave neighbors are in the midst of a
Wal-Mart has spent a great deal of time and money trying to woo black customers and black political organizations, but this week in Massachusetts, the
Home Depot has a commitment to history. Their commitment is to destroy it, if necessary. The Tennessean newspaper reports this week that the world’s largest
Sprawl-Busters has received the following SOS from a small town in Ohio: “Wal-Mart is attmepting to purchase land in Etna Township, Ohio (near Pataskala). The
Bloomberg News reports today that Wal-Mart is breaking its addiction to Chinese take-out, and ordering Indian instead. The retailer’s purchases of cheap clothing from India
It’s a common story: Wal-Mart supercenter opens, local businesses close. Net impact: no real gain in tax base for the community. Most recent case in
Here’s a report from another Wal-Mart battle in Canada, where the retailer has suffered several prominent defeats recently: “The Big Box Battle in Campbell River,
A project called “Jefferson Landing” will not be landing. In late June, the Planning Commission in Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania determined that an application for commercial
Right from the heartland of America, another two employees of Wal-Mart, and a former worker, have filed a lawsuit claiming that the company retaliates against
Wal-Mart is over a barrel in Niagara Falls, New York. Two years ago, a group called the Citizens Against Sprawlmart blocked a Wal-Mart supercenter, and
Wal-Mart got poked in the eye this week in Buckeye, Arizona. The vote was 4-3 to reject a Wal-Mart supercenter. The town council voted to
Wal-Mart international has some bright spots, like the expansion possibilities in China, but the Arkansas retailer’s acquisition of British Asda has left much to be
Wal-Mart has apparently come up with a creative way to get rid of a trouble-maker. Wal-Mart is being sued by one of its former employees
The Utah Supreme Court unanimously ruled on July 1st that residents who fought a Wal-Mart supercenter in their community of Sandy, Utah, have the right
A state lawmaker in Kentucky wants to make it harder for neighbors of a big box store to oppose unwanted developments are curtailing their access
Whenever things go wrong in a community for Wal-Mart, their local spokespersons have a very narrow script to work from. When in doubt, Wal-Mart “community
Retail abhors a vacuum, and Northern Ireland is suffering from a political vacuum, as there is no local government in power that can do anything
What you can’t get by regulation, get by litigation. That seems to be Wal-Mart’s philosophy these days, a far cry from Mr. Sam’s dictum that
The strategies written here were produced by Sprawl-Busters in 2006 at the request of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), mainly for citizen groups that were fighting Walmart. But the tips for fighting unwanted development apply to any project—whether its fighting Dollar General, an Amazon warehouse, or a Home Depot.
Big projects, or small, these BATTLEMART TIPS will help you better understand what you are up against, and how to win your battle.