Never underestimate the power of intimidation. On November 7th, the Planning and Zoning Commission in Windham, Connecticut voted 3-2 to reject a 115,000 s.f. Home
They did it in Michigan, now they’ve done it in Massachusetts. The company that likes to call itself ‘the most admired retailer’ has had to
A multi-year battle against Wal-Mart has been going on in Manor Township, Pennsylvania. Here’s a front line report from sprawl-busters in Manor: “Wal-Mart has been
The “ayes of Texas” turned into “nays” last week for Wal-Mart. On November 13th, the Dallas City Council unanimously shot down a 206,000 s.f. Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart has been trying to build a 186,000 s.f. superstore in the town of Monument, Colorado for about three years. The retailer wanted to have
Mayor Mark Langston is “really pleased” that a Wal-Mart and Sam’s club were given the green light by voters in Maplewood, Missouri. (See November 11,
Sprawl-Busters in Bedford Township, Michigan report that they have updatd their zoning code to — among other things — put a limit on the size
The temperature is rising in Abingdon, Virginia, as residents get organized to fend off another unwanted Wal-Mart superstore in Virginia, a state that already has
Home Depot must assume that if the swallows can return to San Juan Capistrano — they can too. But every time the Orange giant flaps
Residents in Stilwell, Kansas got a two-for-one victory last week when they toppled two of the largest chain stores in America. An account from the
Anti-sprawl activists cleaned the deck on November 5th. when they swept all 5 Talbot County Council seats with their candidates,and won on 2 ballot questions
Newsflash reported last winter that a community group called Citizens for Responsible Development (CORD) was pushing for a ballot question to create a development moratorium
A New York Times reporter (2/16/99) has proclaimed that “Wal-Mart is no longer treated as an invader” in New England, but nearly 400 residents of
The Costco controversy in Cuernavaca, Mexico goes on, and the government is cracking down harder on protestors who want to prevent Costco from destroying the
On July 23, 2002, Newsflash informed readers of a battle taking place in Baraboo, Wisconsin against a Menard’s home improvement superstore. Menard’s is a 160
K is for Kollapse. The Kmart empire is vanishing before your very eyes. According to a report in this week’s Atlanta Business Chronicle, K mart
The Albany Times Union reports that the 164-year-old Defreest-Church House was demolished this week to make way for a Target parking lot in East Greenbush,
Call it imitation sprawl. The Stop & Shop company, which is owned by the Dutch Royal Ahold conglomerate (the 7th. largest grocer in America), is
Wal-Mart likes to call itself a “retail magnet” which attracts shoppers, who then spin off and help other nearby merchants. The only problem with this
John C. Clark, a professor of management at California State University, Sacramento, says his research suggests that Walmartians have not exactly overwhelmed the South Korean
How much is it worth to someone to stop a Home Depot? A developer in Somerville, Massachusetts found out its worth a lot more than
A Wal-Mart spokesperson was quoted October 7th. in the Trenton, NJ Times as saying “Wal-Mart believes in healthy competition and the free enterprise system that
On May 5, 2001, Newsflash reported that Home Depot was pushing the town of Easton, Maryland to allow its retail store to locate in a
The community of Maplewood, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, is about to vote on a massive sprawl plan that includes a 33 acre Wal-Mart
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in Norfolk, Virginia has filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the company that says it is one of
The World Series is wrapping up in California, but Wal-Mart is striking out in the golden state. According to the Los Angeles Times, Wal-Mart swung
On September 4, 2002, we brought you the story of Sandfly, a neighborhood in historic Savannah. Georgia that was fighting a Wal-Mart supercenter. In October,
Several media accounts recently suggest that warehouse clubs like Sam’s and Costco and BJ’s may be choking on each other, as the presence of such
Anti-sprawl activists in Killingly, Connecticut are trying to kill off what they believe is a Wal-Mart Distribution Center. They filed this report: “Killingly is a
“Project Mars” is not landing in the historic village of Montgomery, New York. The Target corporation announced on October 15, 2002 that it is abandoning
Local residents on the Northwest side of Chicago say city politics is playing a role in the mounting pressure to accept a Home Depot in
Here’s a story from a Wal-Mart shopper than you won’t see on any TV advertisement. Rebecca Worthington submitted this account of her recent visit to
CVS, the “Consumer Value Store”, could more appropriately be called the “Commonly Vacant Store”. According to Sprawl-Busters research, the drug store chain had a total
Chalk one up for the union. A report in the Las Vegas Sun says that a federal Judge has ruled that Wal-Mart broke labor laws
Here’s good news for American workers! Home Depot has announced in a press release this week that it will be opening two sourcing offices in
Our favorite big box stores are tripping over themselves in the Chinese take out line. Ordering massive amounts of Chinese goods “to go” (for export),
Almost nine years after Wal-Mart went down in flames, the victim of 2,354 votes not to rezone land for them, Home Depot has filed a
Residents in Bedford, New Hampshire are celebrating a victory this week over the Target megastore that was targeted for one of the worst traffic intersections
An overflow crowd of angry residents made their feelings about Wal-Mart known this week in Bakersfield, California. According to the Californian newspaper, a hearing on
“Good things happen when Home Depot comes to town”. That’s what Home Depot likes to remind us. But ask the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in
Bristol, Tennessee Mayor Trish Bane can now declare that her city is “open for business” again, now that the $2.87 million lawsuit against 9 of
A telecommunications company in India has announced a partnership with Wal-Mart that will unleash the giant retailer throughout the Indian economy. Bharti Enterprises has signed
According to a story in the September 29th, Charlotte (NC) Observer, retail sprawl is following the lead of massive residential developments in the Charlotte, North
Close fo 100 residents of the town of Woodstock, New York are giving the CVS drug store chain a major headache. On Saturday, a grassroots
Home Depot doesn’t sell clothes, but they have plenty of lawsuits available. In 1997, the federal Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) filed the largest sex
It looks like the powers that be in Bristoll, Tennessee want to teach citizens a civics lesson: speak up for your rights, and we’ll try
Home Depot, the company you associate with hammers, not hot dogs, and measuring tapes, not mustard, has abruptly terminated eight license agreements it had with
Our correspondents in Martinez, California report that on September 18, 2002, the City council adopted the first Neighborhood Business Preservation Ordinance (Big Box) that restricts
Sprawl-Busters in Palmdale, California have a bone to pick with Alberton’s grocery superstore. Here’s their report:”If Albertson’s gets their way, 12,918 new vehicle trips per
Since 1999, Sprawl-Busters has followed the efforts of Wal-Mart to get into the town of Gilbert, Arizona. Wal-Mart was defeated three years ago when it
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.