Whether to patronize locally owned stores or chains is not at the top of the mind for many holiday shoppers. But it should be. It’s...
Retail workers in the U.S. are making $4.5 billion less each year due to Wal-Mart’s presence, according to a new study by the University of...
We assume that the chains represent economic progress, but in fact they take far more out of our economy than they contribute.… Read More
The first two maps show the density of Walmart stores by state. The third shows abandoned Walmart stores. … Read More
Tesco — a British-based chain and the world’s fifth largest retailer —wants to open 100 stores in the western U.S. by early 2008 and another...
Interviews with 18 local suppliers—who produce everything from fresh vegetables, dairy products and meat, to prepared and processed foods—raise serious questions about Whole Foods’ commitment...
This lecture was delivered by Stacy Mitchell at the 26th Annual E.F. Schumacher Lectures in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.… Read More
For years local business owners and their supporters in the Arizona legislature have tried to put an end to the massive subsidies that cities in...
Caps on Carbon as a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy – David Morris discusses a state-based cap and share climate proposal that combines environmental and equity...
For Immediate Release: June 29, 2007 Contact: Daphne Loring, Maine Fair Trade Campaign, (207) 777-6387; Stacy Mitchell, Institute for Local Self-Reliance (207) 774-6792 Maine Enacts...
The Maine legislature has given its approval to a bill that requires cities and towns to evaluate the economic effects of large-scale retail development and...
In a unanimous decision yesterday, the California Supreme Court fortified efforts by cities across the state to restrict the development of big-box stores, favor small-scale...
While many parts of the country are overrun with chain stores, San Francisco remains a stronghold for locally owned businesses, according to a new study,...
State lawmakers are now considering a bill, the Informed Growth Act, that would give all Maine communities a process for evaluating the costs and benefits...
Many local officials would undoubtedly reconsider big-box projects if they knew that a new mega-store would eliminate more jobs than it creates, or that it...