We recently reported that taxpayers in Texas were subsidizing the construction of a 2 million square foot import facility for the world’s richest retailer to
Another “thumbs down” report has been published this week regarding the deep taxpayer subsidies that keeps Wal-Mart profits up, and employee benefits down. In addition
Residents in Mission, Kansas have set out upon a new “mission” to stop Wal-Mart in their community. Here’s a report that came in this week
The Canadian Press reported today that Wal-Mart employees in the Quebec city of Saguenay have been accredited to form a union. The Quebec Labour Relations
Wal-Mart makes no bones about its willingness to disturb even the dead to get their stores open. Local media in Hawaii report that construction has
It looks like city officials in League City, Texas are in league with Wal-Mart. But residents in the city are battling to keep the giant
Residents in the community of Lincoln, California were stunned this week to learn that their city has been targeted for a Wal-Mart supercenter. Part of
The Minneapolis City Council this week voted unanimously “No Sam”, rejecting a Wal-Mart request for a zoning variance to construct a Sam’s Club on an
It costs a lot of money to move a corporation from one state to another. Texas taxpayers are picking up the freight costs on this
You don’t have to lose any sleep over how Wal-Mart corporate interests are voting in the upcoming Presidential elections. Bloomberg News reports that Wal-Mart executives,
Planners in Lee County, Florida turned thumbs down this week on Wal-Mart’s plans to erect a 228,000 s.f. superstore. Staffers cited overwhelming traffic on Route
Size matters. Just ask three judges in Oregon who rejected a Wal-Mart this week based on incompatible size. Wal-Mart lost a second round in Hood
Residents in Portsmouth, Michigan submitted the following field report this week: “We have formed a group called : “Friends of Portsmouth Township” to combat a
Wal-Mart often suggests that only a “vocal minority” doesn’t want them around, but frequently, when asked, the minority turns out to be a majority. In
Wisconsin’s Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager has filed a complaint in Dodge County Circuit Court against a private development company, the Beaver Dam Area Development Corporation,
Another community has given developers fair warning that size matters! Here’s a frontline account from sprawl-busters in Canada about a recent victory in British Columbia:
Residents in Chandler, Arizona have been fighting Wal-Mart for at least the past six years, trying to keep the giant retailer off of land near
The city of Franklin, Wisconsin became the first community in Milwaukee County to place a limit on the size of retail buildings — but only
Residents in El Paso County, Colorado can’t believe it’s over — at least for now. Their jubilant report of a Wal-Mart defeat came in as
Residents in Green Township, Ohio have at least temporarily sidestepped a big box planned for their community. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer this week, a
Several weeks ago, Good Jobs First released a report on the myriad of ways that Wal-Mart has filled its beggar’s cup with corporate welfare, underwritten
Don’t look now, but Wal-Mart is facing a “mini movement” to block its effort to build a huge supercenter on Highway 29 in American Canyon,
Wal-Mart officials are admitting publicly that it’s getting harder to convince the public that supercenters make good neighbors. In Tegay Cay, South Carolina, a citizen’s
Sprawl is busting out all over! Here’s a sampling of seven recent battles reported by Sprawl-Buster correspondents across the country over the past week: BERLIN,
East Lampeter, Pennsylvania, Police Chief Dale Jerchau has an epidemic on his hands. The Wal-Mart supercenter in his town, he says, “is trying very hard
Wal-Mart, the most profitable retailer in the world, is also the biggest retailer on welfare. Wal-Mart has used an elaborate array of tax subsidies and
It seemed like a corporate joke when Wal-Mart responded to a Tampa, Florida size limit on retail stores by building a store just under the
The Planning Commission in Woodland, California has rejected Wal-Mart’s plans to expand its existing 127,453 s.f. store on East Main Street into a supercenter by
What a grand idea! Thank you Sears, Roebuck & Co. for annoucing plans to buy up to 54 open Kmart stores and 7 dead Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart is willing to play by the rules as long as the rules allow them to play. In Calvert County, Maryland, Wal-Mart wants to fly
Wal-Mart’s plans for a supercenter along Coconut Road in Estero have been thrown into parking gear over the issue of parking lots. Lee County officials
Wal-Mart has suffered a setback in their plans to build a 220,700 s.f. superstore in Redding, California. A Shasta County Superior Court judge has overturned
The Gainesville City Commission voted 5-to-2 this week to deny a proposal to build a 250,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter on U.S. 441. Wal-Mart will now be
The Lodi, California News-Sentinel reports this week that a citizens group has warned the Stockton City Council that if Wal-Mart is approved, they will take
Two retail giants got snared in the same net this week, as the federal government stayed the course in busting Wal-Mart and Rite Aide for
Lucky Pembroke Pines, Florida! Wal-Mart has blessed them twice. Once with a 127,000 s.f. Wal-Mart discount store, and now, just six years later, with a
The class action certification this week of nearly 1.6 million potential female plaintiffs against Wal-Mart in the largest gender discrimination lawsuit has brought emails and
Wal-Mart left more than its heart in San Francisco today. It’s reputation as a global retailer also may be left in a federal courtroom as
Presidential candidate Ralph Nader has joined a growing list of politicians speaking out against Wal-Mart. John Kerry and his wife, have both criticized Wal-Mart earlier
Instead of making a developer fit the neighborhood, here’s a case where the neighborhood had to fit the developer. This week we received the following
Cheered on by jubilant residents, the Thornton, Colorado City Council has done what the Denver Post described as a “U Turn”, and rejected on a
Citizens in Titusville, Florida are battling a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter. Here is their report: “The Wal-Mart corporation is planning to build a new supercenter in
Aldermen in Chicago are looking for ways to get business practices commitments from big box retailers like Wal-Mart to lessen the damage they do to
It’s been a bumpy ride for Wal-Mart in Indiana this week. Three roadside wrecks for the retail colossus. According to the Associated Press, the Plan
Add another slam-dunk to the citizen’s victory over Wal-Mart list. “Very early on we were told, ‘You can’t take on Wal-Mart,’ ” one resident of
This year, more than 600,000 Wal-Mart workers will take off their Smiley buttons and vests and leave the company in search for better working conditions.
According to the Winnepeg Sun, Wal-Mart employees in Thompson., Ontario went to the ballot box again this week to decide whether to become a unionized
Another Michigan town has stared down the prospect of a Wal-Mart supercenter in the past two weeks. First, Charlevoix, Michigan dodged the bullet, now Wal-Mart
The Davis County Clipper newspaper reports this week that Wal-Mart’s impact on Tooele, Utah has been a mixed blessing. The community’s downtown is smattered with
Add another small town to the list of communities that have tripped up Goliath. Wal-Mart has suddenly pulled the plug in tiny Charlevoix, Michigan. Local
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.