Wal-Mart Finally Revealed, Citizens Unhappy With Secrecy
February 28, 2006
“Bad news on the horizon,” a resident of Spooner, Wisconsin writes this week. “The Mayor admits Wal-Mart has been presented as a concept, but still
February 2006
Eight Years Later, Wal-Mart Returns
February 27, 2006
In 1998, residents in Kilmarnock, Virginia asked me to visit their community to help them ward off rumored interest by Wal-Mart in their small town.
Spending political campaign funds at Wal-Mart apparently doesn’t play well in Peoria
February 26, 2006
Spending political campaign funds at Wal-Mart apparently doesn’t play well in Peoria. Paul Mangieri, a Democratic running for Illinois state treasurer, promised this week to
Wal-Mart Pays Another Environmental Fine
February 26, 2006
Wal-Mart, the giant retailer that likes to appear environmentally green, will have to fork over some of that green for damage its stormwater runoff did
Spending political campaign funds at Wal-Mart apparently doesn’t play well in Peoria. Paul Mangieri?
February 26, 2006
Stop the presses! Wal-Mart may have major legal and ethical problems, but the company’s CEO felt compelled to tell thousands of shareholders at their Annual
Planners Put Special Requirements on Large Scale Buildings.
February 25, 2006
In November of 2005, residents in Kenosha, Wisconsin first learned about a developer’s plans to build a Wal-Mart superstore less than 3 miles away from
Honey, We Shrunk the Wal-Mart
February 25, 2006
The Incredible Shrinking Wal-Mart has come to Gresham, Oregon — but not without some considerable arm-twisting. The Oregonian newspaper reported this week that Wal-Mart, in
Proposal To Cap Size of Retail Heads To Town Meeting
February 25, 2006
Over the years, the town of Hadley, Massachusetts has destroyed hundreds of acres of prime farmland, creating a strip of roadside sprawl that congests the
Wal-Mart Takes Big Tumble Off ‘Most Admired’ List
February 22, 2006
How the mighty have fallen. The Fortune magazine list of 100 “Most Admired” Companies is out this month, and Wal-Mart’s fortunes have continued to slide.
Cabot Betrays Its Dealers For Deal With Lowe’s
February 20, 2006
It’s tough being an independent merchant these days, when the big companies dominate so much of the market. This week Sprawl-Busters received the following cautionary
Wal-Mart Returns For Second Try
February 20, 2006
Residents of Ellsworth, Maine were greeted with unpleasant news in today’s Ellsworth Weekly: Wal-Mart is going to try to again to build a superstore on
Wal-Mart’s 24 Million Square Feet of Dark Stores
February 20, 2006
Wal-Mart discount stores are slowly disappearing. Over the past 5 years, Wal-Mart has shut down 35.3 million square feet of discount stores. Since 1999, Sprawl-Busters
Fair Share Health Care Bill On Hold
February 19, 2006
Attempts by lawmakers in Washington State to imitate the “fair share” health care bill now law in Maryland has apparently been grounded for the immediate
Public Retiree Funds Own Big Share In Wal-Mart Stock
February 19, 2006
Public pension funds — many of them representing union retirees — own a substantial amount of stock in one of the most virulently anti-union companies
Wal-Mart Supercenter Not Welcomed By All
February 19, 2006
Wal-Mart has an option to purchase 63 acres in Broussard, Louisiana, and the retailer is also weighing adding a Sam’s Club to the mix. “I
Residents Begin Petition Drive Against Target
February 18, 2006
Southfield, Michigan is a suburb of Detroit, but it is just another pin on the map for the Target corporation. Residents in Southfield filed the
Employee ‘Infiltrates’ Wal-Mart & Lives To Tell About It
February 18, 2006
Josh Smith worked for Wal-Mart, and now he’s talking about the experience. Here’s his communiqu?? to Sprawl-Busters: “On October 10th, 2005 I infiltrated Wal-Mart Supercenter
Residents Don’t Want Wal-Mart 50 Ft From Their Homes
February 17, 2006
Residents in Delaware, Ohio have submitted the following update on their battle with Wal-Mart: “Currently a developer has bought 20.4 acres next to our housing
Citizens In Court Next Week Against Wal-Mart.
February 17, 2006
Wal-Mart has missed all its construction deadlines in Iowa City, Iowa, thanks to the effort of local residents who have tied the retailer up in
Don’t Shop At Wal-Mart For the Morning After Pill
February 16, 2006
Three women from Massachusetts won a “victory” against Wal-Mart this week by forcing the retailer to sell the “morning after pill.” But the unfortunate consequence
Wal-Mart Sinks Into Wetlands Delay
February 15, 2006
Those Massachusetts wetlands can be very dangerous. Just ask Wal-Mart, which just stepped into a multi-year quagmire in the town of Hadley, Massachusetts. Wal-Mart has
City Gives Wal-Mart Zoning Delicatessen
February 12, 2006
Sprawl-Busters reported last August that Wal-Mart, fresh on the heels of a loss in Hillsboro, Oregon, was seeking to build a store in nearby Cornelius.
Court Overturns Lower Courts, Rules For Wal-Mart
February 12, 2006
On December 13, 2005, Sprawl-Busters reported that citizens in Batavia, New York had put a proposed Wal-Mart into a deep freeze when they took the
Developer Ends Talks With Wal-Mart
February 12, 2006
Another developer, under public pressure, has dropped hands with Wal-Mart to make their proposal more palatable. In the town of Thomaston, Maine, a developer from
City Officials Roll Over for Wal-Mart
February 12, 2006
More than 2,000 residents in Fairhope, Alabama signed a petition against a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter on 57 acres of land east of the city, but
Don’t Like Wal-Mart? Don’t Shop There.
February 11, 2006
Here’s a typical Wal-Mart story from a typical American town. A proposed 217,000 s.f. Wal-Mart superstore on 30 acres of land in Perrysburg, Ohio has
Wal-Mart Called An Economic & Safety Disaster
February 11, 2006
Ohio is being aerial bombed with proposed Wal-Marts, and opposition is following the giant retailer everywhere they try to drop a store. The following message
Decade-Long Battle Against Wal-Mart Continues
February 11, 2006
Citizens in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, have been engaged in their own Olympic endurance battle against Wal-Mart for roughly ten years. On January 20th,2006, city officials
Wal-Mart Pushes $24 M In Health Costs Onto Taxpayers
February 9, 2006
Wal-Mart gets health care for many of its workers in Washington state at an “everyday low price.” In fact, it’s free — because the taxpayers
Sprawl-Buster to Speak At United Nations
February 8, 2006
Al Norman, the founder of Sprawl-Busters, an international clearinghouse for citizens’ groups fighting big box superstores, has been invited to speak at the United Nations
Wal-Marts Agrees to Limit Store Hours
February 8, 2006
They will not be burning the midnight oil at the proposed Wal-Mart superstore in Livonia, Michigan. After major community opposition was expressed to a 24
Trade Association Sues Maryland Over Wal-Mart Health Care Bill
February 8, 2006
As expected, a retail front group filed a lawsuit this week to overturn a health care law in Maryland that requires employers with more than
Home Depot Kills Off Competitor
February 6, 2006
Home Depot is known in the retail business as a “category killer.” A form of retail plague, companies like Home Depot and Lowe’s kill off
Two Counties Engage in Conflict Resolution Over Wal-Mart
February 6, 2006
Sprawl-Busters reported on January 8, 2006 that two counties in Florida were in a legal battle over a proposed Wal-Mart distribution center. The two counties
39 Big Box Victories in Last Seven Months
February 5, 2006
Sprawl is busting out all over — but citizens groups are stepping up their efforts as well, scoring 39 victories, according to Sprawl-Busters, between July
Court Hears Case Over Wal-Mart Access Road
February 5, 2006
Sprawl-Busters reported last September that residents in Mahoning township, Pennsylvania has sued town officials over a zoning variance for a Wal-Mart superstore. That case is
Wal-Mart Wins Battle, But Could Lose the War
February 5, 2006
The marathon 3.5 year battle over a 168,000 s.f. proposed Wal-Mart in Pittsfield Township, Michigan reached another decision point this week, when the Planning Commission
Wal-Mart “Disappointed” by Rejection.
February 5, 2006
Another community has sent Wal-Mart packing. If Wal-Mart wants to build in Hercules, California, a suburb 25 miles northeast of San Francisco, they’re going to
One Home Depot Opens, One Closes.
February 3, 2006
One minus one = zero. Home Depot opened its doors this week in the town of Clinton, Mississippi. The new store in Clinton, however, caused
Judge Rules Against Wal-Mart In Loading Docks Case
February 2, 2006
Residents in Windsor Township, Pennsylvania didn’t like the idea of a 197,000 s.f. Wal-Mart superstore with 7 loading docks facing their homes, so they took
Wal-Mart Tries To Lower Its Property Taxes
February 2, 2006
It’s become a familiar ritual in many parts of the country. When Wal-Mart is wooing a town, they promise a tax revenue bonanza. But as
2,000 Residents Sign Anti-Wal-Mart Petition
February 2, 2006
As many as 400 upset residents crowded into close quarters at town hall in Fairhope, Alabama this week to make it clear they don’t want
Sprawling Project Sparks Community Opposition
February 1, 2006
Delaware, the true home state for corporations like Wal-Mart, which pay no corporate taxes here, is rarely in the news over big box sprawl issues.
Poll Shows 56% Say Wal-Mart Bad for America
February 1, 2006
A national survey of American adults released this week by Zogby International, finds that 38% of American polled have an unfavorable opinion of Wal-Mart. The
Jail Time For Wal-Mart’s Former Vice Chairman
February 1, 2006
Today is the start of Wal-Mart’s new fiscal year, and what a grand way to begin it — with the confession by its former Vice