Add another major “slam-dunk” to the Wal-Mart list of rejections. Residents in Hillsboro, Oregon are celebrating a super victory this week against a Wal-Mart supercenter.
The Kingman, Arizona City Council has rejected Wal-Mart’s request for a zoning change to pave the way for a supercenter. According to the Kingman Miner
Wal-Mart opponents in Topsham, Maine believe that good things come to those who wait. Apparently the long wait for Wal-Mart to get a green light
Is Wal-Mart a “variety store”? Or is it a “department store”? It’s a big difference in Lawrence, Kansas. City officials in Lawrence this week denied
Recently Newsflash recorded the story of Brick, New Jersey, where local officials used eminent domain (condemnation) as a weapon to take over land that was
One of the favorite threats of developers is litigation. What they can’t get by regulation, they try to get by litigation. Sometimes, citizens use this
There are no water or sewer lines to the farmland Wal-Mart wants to convert into a supercenter, but the company wants to proceed anyway. However,
On July 24th on a 3-1 vote, City planning commissioners in Clovis, California gave preliminary approval to a zoning change that would require conditional use
As of July, 2003, Wal-Mart international controlled 1,301 stores outside of the United States — bigger than most of its competitors are in the states.
On July 9th, Newsflash reported on the efforts of residents in the picturesque city of Poulsbo, Washington to keep out a Wal-Mart supercenter. The city,
Just the thought of a Wal-Mart supercenter was enough. Residents in the town of Winona, Wisconsin have started a website, launched a petition drive, and
Wal-Mart doesn’t like the zoning laws in Contra Costs County, California. So like a good citizen, Wal-Mart is exercising its First Amendment rights as the
Mayor Robert Tennett of Front Royal, Virginia, was getting desperate for votes, so he finally had to order some of his Town Council members not
Here’s an update from New Jersey about a controversial Home Depot project that is entering a new phase: “On Friday, July 25, 2003, an appeal
We’ve been following the case of Home Depot vs. the Brick township, New Jersey, where local officials have been trying to block the building supply
In Aurora, New York, the town’s Planning and Conservation Board has recommended a size cap of 55,000 s.f. for a single-story or multistory retail building.
The Stoughton, Wisconsin City Council voted on July 22nd to temporarily put on ice any future building permits for retail stores larger than 50,000 s.f.
Wal-Mart seems to have a good sense of history — it’s just short. In fact, it doesn’t seem to stretch back beyond 1962, when pioneer
When residents in Brattleboro, Vermont announced they were encouraging their neighbors to stay away from the new Home Depot when it opens sometime next fall,
One of the largest “double big box malls” in New England has been proposed for Leominster, Masschusetts by New England Development. The project, spread across
In April, 2002, Newsflash passed along the story of the Asbury Automotive Group of Stamford, Connecticut, one of the largest used car chains in America,
Like a mosquito looking for an arm to land on, Wal-Mart is having a hard time landing in Seminole County, Florida. The giant retailer tried
Probably most people in Poulsbo, Washington never imagined their little town fighting a huge Wal-Mart store, but here’s a first-hand account from residents in “Little
The grocery workers union had something to celebrate this Independence Day after the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled 6-1 on July 3rd. that union members could
Local residents of Austin, Texas don’t want a Wal-Mart supercenter inside Austin City Limits. They filed this report of the on-going battle: “Endeavor Real Estate
Many large retail chains have what they call an “open door” policy, encouraging their “associates” to bring issues or complaints to the attention of management.
ABC News in Chattanooga reports that construction workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee found more than they bargained for when they showed up for work this week.
In the small town of Front Royal, Virginia, the world’s largest retailer can’t build a supercenter until Town Councilor Fred Foster shows up. One man
Wal-Mart was given a second chance yesterday in Gainsville, Florida. After being rejected May 27th. by the City Commission on a 4-3 vote for a
It looks like citizen Wal-Mart is going to put itself on the ballot again — this time in Contra Costa, California. The world’s biggest retailer
In February of 2000, we told you about the success of a group of meatcutters in Jacksonville, Texas who voted to unionize their Wal-Mart. In
The front page of the Daily Times Chronicle in Reading, Massachusetts has a picture of the Johnson True Value Hardware store with a caption over
Would your town accept a Wal-Mart on the condition that it be torn down 25 years later? In April of 2003, we reported that Wal-Mart’s
An Associated Press story this week from Santa Fe, New Mexico indicates that a state judge, Carol Vigil, has slapped Home Depot with a $2.76
There’s been another in a series of customer deaths at Home Depot from falling merchandise, but the death of 6 year old Ivan SanMiguel at
The Arkansas Supreme Court this week unanimously upheld a $1.27 million jury decision against Wal-Mart in a case in which the company gave a pharmacy
Local residents of Holiday, Florida were more than pleasantly suprised on June 11th. when they learned that the 207,500 s.f. Wal-Mart supercenter planned for 31
When in doubt, buy them out. Home Depot knows what competition is all about. As a “category killer”, they have played a role in the
“Miracles happen,” according to San Marcos, California resident Steve Bennett. “We beat the biggest corporation in the world.” On June 11th, after six grueling hours
Do good berms make good neighbors? More than 100 angry residents in Estero, Florida gave Wal-Mart officals an earful for more than 2 hours on
Don’t point that thing at me! Wal-Mart was shot down this week by New York state’s Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer. The AG took aim at
???I want people to understand the magnitude of power that Walmart has,??? says 68 year old Sherian Palmer. As a result of the four years
Newsflash reported May 15, 2003 that the Blue Springs, Missouri Planning Commission had voted down a Wal-Mart supercenter. The city already has a current Wal-Mart
Residents in Burlingame, California have filed the following report of a recent victory in a long-standing battle in their hometown: “Safeway is proposing to build
Mayor Morris Vance is in a tight spot. On the one hand, his community of Vista, California, is faced with what the San Diego Union-Tribune
If you drive through the countryside along Ireland’s narrow, winding roads, you won’t pass by Wal-Marts or Home Depots or any huge hypermarkets. This is
Sprawl-Busters has received an account of citizen opposition to a Wal-Mart from Las Vegas, Nevada, where Wal-Mart has been playing a hot hand, and the
The media in Hawaii are reporting that Wal-Mart construction crews are coming up with human skeletons in their so-called “superblock” project on Keeaujmoku Street. This
This is one of those little vignettes about the Big Company that speaks volumes about what’s really behind the Mr. Smiley image. In the Billings
Residents in Stoughton, Wisconsin are battling off an out-of-state developer who wants to ruin a 185 acre field of dreams to build yet another Wal-Mart
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.