An international group of activists, including Sprawl-Busters, has written to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Anan protesting the destruction of cultural heritage by U.S. big
The fight over a Wal-Mart supercenter in Front Royal became one of the most divisive issues in this small community’s history — and the dust
Wal-Mart could be making millions in profits by overcharging unwary shoppers in the check-out line. State officials in Massachusetts have fined Wal-Marts in 3 locations
If there ever was a symbolic passing of the U.S. economic torch, go to the township of Grand Blanc, Michigan, where a giant retail corporation
Another set of “stunned” Wal-Mart officials made their report to headquarters in Bentonville that another community has rejected them this week. Commissioners in Hall County,
Wal-Mart has suffered another defeat, this time in Sarasota County, Florida, where County Commissioners used their discretionary police powers this week to declare a proposed
With its international division showing the greatest future growth potential, Wal-Mart’s global appetite hopes to make sushi of the Japanese economy by taking over a
Wal-Mart is very sensitive to local community needs, and wants desperately to keep local needs uppermost in its planning for store locations. That’s why City
Attention Christmas shoppers, the home improvement twins are offered a small rebate to customers who were talked into buying their credit cards. Home Depot and
Some residents in the small community (8,000 pop) of Grinnell, Iowa don’t think the city should have to annex more land just to help a
Undaunted by a preliminary court decision in favor of Wal-Mart, a group in Florence, South Carolina, called Citizens for Responsible Economic Development (RED) is appealing
This week the federal Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil fraud charges against three former Kmart Corp. executives and five current and former managers of
In a case of the kettle calling the Target black, fans of the Salvation Army are threatening to take their money away from Target, in
According to the China Business Weekly, 70% of the textile merchandise inside Wal-Mart is from China. Wal-Mart’s addiction to Chinese take out is so pervasive,
Wal-Mart gives every store manager a thick “Manager’s Toolbox” manual on how to stop unionization efforts at Wal-Mart, including a toll free secret Union Hotline
Wal-Mart lost the first round in November. But will be back for the final decision in December. That’s the story from Columbia, Missouri, where the
Legislation now pending before the New Jersey state legislature would require cities and towns in the Garden State to take into account the potential effects
The 1st District Court of Appeals in Tallahassee, Florida has let Wal-Mart off the hook — for now — in a class action lawsuit that
One of the nation’s most progressive land use concepts has been successfully damaged by property rights zealots. On November 2nd, voters in Oregon approved a
If Wal-Mart wants to build a superstore in Avondale Estates, Georgia, it’s going to be required to give up its 24 hour operations, and provide
Wal-Mart proved today that if it wants a market bad enough, it is willing to do extraordinary things to get it. Under mounting pressure from
The Associated Press reported this week that state officials in Florida have fined Wal-Mart $750,000 for breaking state laws regarding oil storage tanks at their
Is the $11 billion merger deal announced this week between Kmart and Sears nothing more than a grizzly double-suicide note to retail America? After all,
Residents in the village of Lisle, Illinois probably never thought they’d see the end of the Meijer’s proposal to build a 215,000 s.f. superstore. But
We’ve written in the past about Wal-Mart’s penchant for buildings stores over human remains, like the recent fiasco in Honolulu, where Wal-Mart unearthed nearly twenty
They say the hand is faster than the eye, which is why bribes and kickbacks are so rarely witnessed in the business world, yet so
There’s a big controversy in the small town of Woodland Park, Colorado, population 7,000. Here’s how local residents described the problem back in October: “It
Residents of one of Florida’s most impressive villages, Coconut Grove, kicked off an organized effort this week to stop Home Depot from taking over a
Wal-Mart got off on the wrong foot this week in Gainesville, Georgia. Here’s a report from the front lines: “Last night Hall County, Georgia held
Texas is the all-time leader in emptied Wal-Marts. They have more empty boxes than any other state. So it should come as no surprise to
On February 12, 2000, Newsflash ran a story about the death of a 42 year old man who had been shot and killed in a
A nationally-known economist has concluded that a 510,000 s.f. mall including a Lowe’s, Wal-Mart and Kohl’s, proposed for Route 117 in Leominster, Massachusetts will produce
Residents in Hemet, California who warned about crime at Wal-Mart supercenters must have been saying “I told you so” this week when city taxpayers had
Home Depot helped nail the election victory for George W. Bush. The home improvement giant’s founder, Bernie Marcus, was one of the major contributors to
Voters in Talbot County, Maryland, hard by the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, ratified an earlier vote by county officials to place a size
Wal-Mart’s incursion into the Teotichuacan, Mexico historic pyramid site has raised the ire of local residents, but now they have begun an effort to locate
Ohio was not just a critical state in the race for President, but a lesser watched vote in Hudson, Ohio was more important to local
A new report released this week by Penn State University’s Center for Economic and Community Development says that Wal-Mart stores actually “stifle” a lowering of
Residents in Gainesville, Georgia want to prevent Wal-Mart from making any further gains in their community. Gainesville already has a Wal-Mart supercenter, but the company
Sam Walton boasted about his “Bring It Home To the USA” Program, which he started in 1985 “in response to the soaring U.S. trade deficit.”
The Mayor of the Village of Albion is trying to save his community from the town of Albion’s Wal-Mart proposal. Village Mayor Ed Salvatore told
Wal-Mart insists that it gives its workers a decent health care plan, but the workers may be voting with their feet. Critics have charged that
Measure R on the Lodi, California ballot November 2nd. was defeated by a vote of 10,655 (57.7%) against imposing new restrictions on big boxes, to
Big corporate special interests squeaked out a shallow victory on November 2nd. in Belfast, Maine. This community has already passed a zoning code to limit
Wal-Mart money helped defeat Proposition 72 in the November 2nd California election, but the retailer could win the battle yet lose the larger war. Prop
Wal-Mart has stirred up another battle in the community of Helotes, Texas. A citizen’s group called the Helotes Area Heritage Association (HAHA), thinks that a
Running a big business is not cheap. To keep government on your side costs money. But that’s one thing Wal-Mart has plenty of. That’s why
A new report from USAction profiles Wal-Mart as a leading lobbyist for new legislation “designed to kill the use of class action lawsuits, which have
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette filed a story on October 28th. that Wal-Mart, the wealthiest retail corporation in the world, with nearly $9 billion in profits
Wal-Mart is using its corporate funds to try to influence elections on November 2nd in Antioch, California. The company is using its deep pockets to
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.