Court Rejects Wal-Mart Plan for the Second Time
July 25, 2012
On April 25, 1999, Sprawl-Busters reported that the Mayor of Mount Holly, New Jersey was concerned about the proposed building of a 137,000 s.f. Wal-Mart
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City Considers Giving $5 Million Welfare Subsidy To Wal-Mart
July 22, 2012
The nickame for the city of Bryan, Texas is “The Good Life, Texas Style.” Naturally, people in Texas want big stores to cater to their
Big Wal-Mart Kills Off Little Wal-Mart
July 22, 2012
For years, Wal-Mart’s policy of over-saturating a trade area with stores has caused the company to cannibalize its own stores. This is no great surprise
City Trades Up on Dead Wal-Mart
July 14, 2012
Dead Wal-Marts — those stores which have been left empty by the giant retailer — are often hard to dispose of. Some “dark stores” as
The Honolulu City Council has delayed a vote to rezone a 14 acre parcel of city owned land in Pearl ?
July 10, 2012
The Honolulu City Council has delayed a vote to rezone a 14 acre parcel of city owned land in Pearl City to make way for
Wal-Mart Cannibalizes Area With Another Superstore
July 7, 2012
“I really don’t understand,” one reader told The Aegis newspaper, “why we need yet another Wal-Mart? I can drive to the Bel Air Road one
Citizens Respond to Wal-Mart Grocery With a Lawsuit
June 27, 2012
Angry residents of Hawthorne, New Jersey have decided to take legal action to try to block a Wal-Mart grocery store that they don’t want. The
Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market Upsets Neighborhood
June 24, 2012
Residents in Altadena, California are riled up over plans revealed late last week that Wal-Mart wants to construct a 28,000 s.f. Neighborhood Market in this
Wal-Mart Folds Plans In Two More Communities
June 16, 2012
Wal-Mart dropped plans this week to build stores in two suburban Boston, Massachusetts communities. In Somerville, a proposed grocery store has been scrapped, and in
Newspaper Calls For Boycott of Unsanitary Wal-Mart
June 10, 2012
The small town of Thompson, NY (pop. 15,400) , nestled in the Sullivan County Catskills, describes itself as a “full service community in a rural
Shoplifting Is A Capital Offense At Wal-Mart
June 10, 2012
Several hundred million people shop at Wal-Mart stores every year, so its no big deal that every once in a while someone gets killed there
Wal-Mart Buys Workers Justin Timberlake In A Grass Skirt
June 4, 2012
I’m exhausted from Wal-Mart’s 50th birthday bash held in Fayetteville, Arkansas last Friday for shareholders like me. Reuters described it as an “upbeat event,” but
Pension Funds Gang Up On Wal-Mart Board
May 29, 2012
With Wal-Mart getting ready to throw a big party for its 50th birthday this week, pension funds from across the county are defying the corporation’s
Wal-Mart Loves That Dirty Water
May 14, 2012
In a 2008 “sustainability” report, Wal-Mart boasted that it could convert “brownfield” building sites into an environmental bonus. “Selecting ‘brownfield’ sites for stores is another
Trouble in Home Depot’s Hometown
May 12, 2012
Who would know Home Depot better than the residents of Atlanta, the company’s hometown. Despite Agent Orange’s hometown feeling, residents are fighting hammer and nail
Judge Rules Against Wal-Mart Superstore
May 12, 2012
Once again, local citizens have demonstrated that you can fight Wal-Mart — and win. On June 18, 2011, Sprawl-Busters reported that another community had found
Citizens Celebrate Wal-Mart Withdrawal
April 10, 2012
In March of 2009, it looked like Wal-Mart was on its way to building a superstore in Exeter, Pennsylvania. Residents in this small borough, population
Just a few weeks after Wal-Mart announced in the Wall Street Journal that it was going to start buil?
April 9, 2012
Just a few weeks after Wal-Mart announced in the Wall Street Journal that it was going to start building smaller 40,000 s.f stores because its
Home Depot has problems siting stores even in its home state of Georgia. This week the Alpharetta, G?
April 3, 2012
Home Depot has problems siting stores even in its home state of Georgia. This week the Alpharetta, GA City Council voted 5-1 to reject a
Residents Go To Ballot To Fight Public Bail Out For Wal-Mart
April 1, 2012
The recall of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is not the only election generating controversy this week in Wisconsin. Residents in South Milwaukee,Wisconsin, who are fed
Invasion of the Neighborhood Markets
March 31, 2012
Several months ago, Wal-Mart announced that it planned to build a Neighborhood Market in Vancouver, Washington. That fact was not as important as the site
Wal-Mart Thumbs Nose At Moratorium On Large Retailers
March 24, 2012
As the month of March began in Southern California, Wal-Mart came in like a lion. The giant retailer announced plans to open a grocery store
Appeals Court Hands Defeat To Wal-Mart
March 17, 2012
The email message that came into Sprawl-Busters this week was very clear: “This letter is to let you know that we won!! Quartz Hill Cares
Cashier Sues Walmart for Malicious Prosecution in “Price Matching”
March 8, 2012
On October 14, 2014, Emily Rennhack, a Walmart cashier in Bradenton, Florida, was arrested at her register inside the retailer???s store by a county deputy
Police, Mayor Evict Occupiers From Anti-Wal-Mart Encampment
March 7, 2012
On November 21, 2011, Sprawl-Buster’s received a short, succinct email about a battle brewing over a big box store in Athens, Georgia. “A Wal-Mart anchor
An End To Wal-Mart Poaching?
February 29, 2012
The term ‘retail rustling’ describes the efforts of one community to steal the merchants that are doing business in another community. It’s a form of
Wal-Mart Crawls Out Of The Woodwork
February 26, 2012
On May 15, 2011, Sprawl-Busters reported from South Euclid, Ohio, that residents were actively organizing to fight off a proposed Wal-Mart superstore. A development company
Life & A Cheap Death At Wal-Mart
February 19, 2012
Ten months ago, Sprawl-Busters first reported the death of a Brazilian immigrant worker during a botched renovation job by an unlicensed crew inside a Wal-Mart
March Planned To Protect Big Box Development
February 1, 2012
Wal-Mart Canada has run into aggressive opposition right in the town that serves as its headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario. The following site fight report was
Wal-Mart Opposition Springs Up
January 29, 2012
The small town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado has a big problem. Just before Christmas, the media began reporting that a 93,000 square foot big box
Citizens Asks For Help To Stop Wal-Mart.
January 21, 2012
A Canadian citizens group in Stratford, Ontario is reaching out to sprawl-busters everywhere to help them make their case with city officials, to stop a
Residents Fight To Avoid Wal-Mart Urban Sprawl
January 15, 2012
In early November, Sprawl-Busters received this call for help from a resident in Georgia: “I live in Athens, Geoergia, where there are 2 Wal-Marts now.
Town Prefers Moratorium To Wal-Mart
January 14, 2012
According to a headline in the January 5th issue of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Wal-Mart has gotten stuck in the sand in Sandy Springs, Georgia.
Wal-Mart Loses Another One
January 10, 2012
Wal-Mart’s efforts to rezone land to build a 210,000 s.f. superstore and three other commercial buildings in Lake Forest, Florida were dashed on January 11th.
Wal-Mart Returns To Expand Store
December 29, 2011
On May 11, 2008, Sprawl-Busters reported that a coalition of labor, neighbors, and environmental groups in a small town in New Jersey had won an
Neighbors Pack Hearing Against Rezoning For Wal-Mart
December 24, 2011
This week Sprawl-Busters received the following communication from a resident in the small city (pop. 38,200) of Florence, Alabama: “Unfortunately, we only found out about
Wal-Mart Makes Waves in Waveland.
December 13, 2011
A Wal-Mart superstore proposed for Waveland, Mississippi has stirred up the bottom in Waveland, and has state and federal officials suggesting that the project is
Wal-Mart Returns Quietly to Scene of Defeat
December 10, 2011
On August 24, 1999, Sprawl-Busters reported that the voters of Eureka, California had defeated Wal-Mart on a ballot referendum by a 22% point margin. Eureka
Wal-Mart Beaten At Planning Commission, Appeals to City Council
November 27, 2011
People in Chanhassen, Minnesota want you to believe everything you read about them in magazines Chanhassen residents take pride in the ranking they won in
Wal-Mart Has An Oops Moment
November 24, 2011
Wal-Mart had its own “oops” moment recently when it had to quickly pull the plug on a widespread news story about its ambitions to create
The Incredible, Vanishing Wal-Mart
November 13, 2011
Wal-Mart has stumbled onto something really big: stores that are really small. After ripping up our nation’s landscape for nearly half a century, Wal-Mart has
Wal-Mart Uses Legal Threat To Keep Project Alive
November 6, 2011
On August 3, 2007, Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart had given up on locating a superstore in Fircrest, Washington, which has been described as a wealthy
After Six Years, Wal-Mart Still Not Open
November 3, 2011
On September 18, 2010, Sprawl-Busters reported that after 5 years of butting its head against the WAL, the Wal-Mart corporation had finally given up its
Cold Water Thrown On Wal-Mart Plan
November 1, 2011
The world’s largest retailer hasn’t even submitted its proposal for a superstore in Watertown, Massachusetts — but already the plan has run into strong opposition.
Two Towns In Legal Battle Over Wal-Mart Move
October 23, 2011
Two neighboring communities in Ohio are locked in a nasty legal battle over a discount chain store. The relocation of an existing Wal-Mart has had
Wal-Mart and Target Divide Up The Spoils
October 16, 2011
This week, residents in Thunder Bay, Ontario contacted Sprawl-Busters to strategize about the saturation of their community by Wal-Mart and Target. A dying Canadian retailer
Citizens File Lawsuit To Halt Wal-Mart Superstore
October 13, 2011
In July of 2007 — more than 4 years ago — Wal-Mart unveiled a 208,000 s.f. superstore proposal from the south side of town near
County Legislature Wants Limit on Big Box Stores
October 11, 2011
Wal-Mart’s urban growth strategy involves pitching smaller stores — some as small as 15,000 s.f. to “fit” into land-scare city centers. But one county in
Wal-Mart Gets Baked In Bean Town
October 5, 2011
At this point, you can’t blame the Wal-Mart PR team in Bentonville, Arkansas from feeling a little bit like a bean that’s been baked —
Wal-Mart’s Manhattan Project Will Kill 14,000 Jobs
September 29, 2011
Unlike the top secret Manhattan Project in the 1940s, which produced the first atomic bomb, Wal-Mart has made no attempt to hide its ambition to