Board to Review Controversial Rogers Store
Planners To Get Glimpse Of Market [NW Arkansas Morning News]
It shouldn’t be news in Northwest Arkansas that a new Wal-Mart store is coming to town—but it is.
The Rogers Planning Commission on Tuesday is scheduled to review large-scale development plans for Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market No. 5837—or as it has more informally become known, the Neighborhood Market at Pinnacle Hills.
The more than 36,000-square-foot store would be a change of pace from older Neighborhood Markets.
This market would be a prototype store, featuring warmer colors and updated interior features, according to a news release from Laurie Smalling of the Wal-Mart Office of Public Affairs and Government Relations.
The store also would feature a wide selection of healthful food choices, such as an increased selection of organic items and produce, the release states.
The Neighborhood Market would be on 5.4 acres of a 63-acre development known as The District at Pinnacle Hills, owned by Bill Schwyhart and Robert Thornton.
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Posted by Tony Calero on Tuesday, June 03 | 0 comments | Permalink
Wal-Mart Faces Numerous Obstacles in North Straban
Wal-Mart gets ‘to do’ list in North Straban [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
Wal-Mart must meet a list of conditions, including $3 million to $3.5 million in road improvements, before it can begin building a Supercenter on Route 519 in North Strabane.
Supervisors granted final site plan approval Tuesday, nearly a year after granting preliminary site approval for the store, which will be near the Houston exit of Interstate 79. The stretch of Route 519 in front of the site is between Interstate 79, Route 980 and Route 19.
Wal-Mart hopes to open the store by spring 2010.
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Posted by Tony Calero on Tuesday, June 03 | 0 comments | Permalink
Douglas, WY. Wal-Mart Restarts Old Battle
Wal-Mart restarts Douglas plans [Casper Star Tribune (Wyo.)]
After withdrawing in March plans to build a SuperCenter here, Wal-Mart has announced it is reviving that effort.
The chain store and its planners expect to start construction in late spring 2009 and hold a grand opening a year later, said Joshua Phair, Wal-Mart senior manager for public affairs in Wyoming.
The company pulled its plans in March as part of a national slowdown in SuperCenter development. Proposed SuperCenters in Rawlins and Worland were not withdrawn.
“We always wanted to be in Douglas. Through the national business model, it was unclear whether we’d be able to act in Douglas as quickly as we wanted to,” Phair said. “We were able to work some things out internally.”
When the company called off the project, the city had just announced the first scheduled public hearings on several items. Wal-Mart was seeking annexation of the land the company plans to build on, as well as a subdivision permit and a building permit.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, May 12 | 0 comments | Permalink
Colorado Lawmakers Take Aim at Wal-Mart’s Tax Strategies
Wal-Mart has avoided paying thousands of dollars in state taxes over the years by paying rent to itself in a process known as “captive REITs.” After the Wall Street Journal exposed the practice last year, several states have revised their tax code to prevent large corporations from exploiting the hole. Colorado is now the latest state to move to close the controversial loophole, with legislation pending that would force corporations to pay their full share of taxes. “Captive REITs” and Wal-Mart’s other tax avoidance strategies are discussed in the latest issue of Wal-Mart Watch In Depth: “The Great Tax Dodge. Click the image at right to download the full document.
Bill targets Wal-Mart ‘tax evasion scheme’ [Rocky Mountain News]
Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, introduced a tax bill designed to stop Wal-Mart and other companies from deducting real-estate expenses they’re paying to themselves.
Levy calls the technique an illegal tax evasion scheme.
The tactic, revealed by The Wall Street Journal in February 2007, involves Wal-Mart giving its stores and land to a real estate investment trust, which it then pays rent to. REITs pay no corporate taxes if they pay out most of their income to shareholders.
Another Wal-Mart subsidiary owns the REIT and gets the income. The rent is then deducted on state income taxes as a business expense.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Wednesday, April 23 | 7 comments | Permalink
Madill, OK. When City Goes Fishing For Bigger Wal-Mart, Local Grocer Shuts Down
Officials in one small Oklahoma community went fishing for a larger Wal-Mart, but killed off the smaller fish in the process.
The tiny “city” of Madill, Oklahoma has roughly 3,700 people. It already has a Wal-Mart discount store, and is surrounded by three Wal-Mart supercenters in Durant and Ardmore, Oklahoma, and Denison, Texas. Its median family income is just over half of the average household income in America, making Madill a prime choice for Wal-Mart. The city is located in Marshall County, which is described by the Madill Chamber of Commerce as “strategically located approximately halfway between Dallas and Oklahoma City.” According to the Chamber of Commerce, Madill is located in the “Striper Capital of the World,” because of Lake Texoma, which as 589 miles of shoreline. Lake Texoma is famous for its striped bass, or striper fishing. Stripers were introduced into the lake in 1969 and have flourished ever since. Texoma is one of the few lakes in the United States where stripers reproduce.
Fishing is the big lure for tourists in Madill, and the big blue and red Wal-Mart sign on South First street in Madill says “Striper Fishing Headquarters.” The Chamber says Marshall County is “the Smallest County in Oklahoma with the Biggest Heart!” Apparently this small county now needs a bigger Wal-Mart. According to KTen television, the Madill City Council is hooked on a super Wal-Mart, and has already signed an agreement to allow the store to expand. The agreement includes a nice welfare package for Wal-Mart--a taxpayer subsidy. The city’s taxpayers are going to pay to provide “infrastructure” to the site for a 98,000 s.f. building. Wal-Mart has said that it will pick up the cost of widening Route 70, and putting in a traffic signal at the main entrance to the store. City officials say the new superstore will bring in more traffic and consumers to Madill---and it will bring tourists visting Lake Texoma into Madill for fishing supplies. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jeff Hudson told the TV station, “The current Wal-Mart we have right now carries alot more fishing equipment than some of the other Wal-Marts do, so that would certainly be a plus.”
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Posted by Al Norman on Monday, April 21 | 0 comments | Permalink
Wal-Mart Watch In Depth: The Great Tax Dodge
As Americans around the country file their taxes this week, Wal-Mart continues to use a number of loopholes, legal strategies and untruths to avoid paying its fair share of taxes. Learn more about all the company’s tax avoidance strategies in Wal-Mart Watch In Depth, issue 5 - “The Great Tax Dodge.” From the introduction:
When Wal-Mart wants to build a store in a new community, it makes a lot of promises. The company paints an alluring picture of a bustling local economy with more jobs, increased tax revenue and a thriving shopping district all centered around the town’s sparkling new Wal-Mart store. As American communities struggle to cope with budget shortfalls and a slowing economy, it is not surprising that many bend over backwards to bring Wal-Mart to town.
Unfortunately, communities often experience a much different reality. Studies have shown the retailer routinely drives down area wages and eliminates retail jobs. As local businesses close their
doors, towns become more dependent on Wal-Mart for tax revenue. However, the company has developed elaborate mechanisms for avoiding its taxes, leaving our cities and towns high and dry.Throughout this issue of In Depth, we examine the myriad ways that Wal-Mart avoids paying taxes or uses public dollars for its private endeavors. Many of these practices, while technically legal, effectively abdicate the responsibilities Wal-Mart agreed to when it negotiated to enter a community. This is unfair to the working men and women who shop at Wal-Mart and pay their taxes every day.
Click here to download the document (PDF).
Posted by Media Team on Tuesday, April 15 | 8 comments | Permalink
Wal-Mart Charges More for Groceries in Low-Income Neighborhoods
Wal-Mart claims to save people money. That would appear to be a lie. This arresting article from the Denver Post asserts that Wal-Mart charges more for groceries in low-income neighborhoods than in affluent neighborhoods. Despite the company’s claim as a resource for the working class, Wal-Mart’s pricing strategies appears to be anything but. If this article’s assertions are true, Wal-Mart’s pricing strategies are dishonest and shameful.
Much of this undoubtedly has to do with competition. Once Wal-Mart has driven out local competitors (and left a local economy depressed), the company is free to charge more for its products without fear of being undersold. This cycle of poverty and lack of access to resources is what makes Wal-Mart such an insidious neighbor. Working class communities should read this as a cautionary tale when considering a Wal-Mart, and be wary of the company’s promises of low prices.
Price disparity in groceries [Denver Post]
It’s not cheap being poor.
Few places reflect that reality more than the aisles of a grocery store, where prices seemingly increase daily as the economy teeters toward recession.
“It’s not very easy to make do right now,” said Kathryn White, a 58-year-old disabled nurse who relies on a small food-stamp stipend to offset high grocery costs.
“I just can’t look to buy something that costs $2,” she said. “I have my limits.”
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Posted by Research Team on Monday, April 07 | 1 comments | Permalink
Wal-Mart Cancels 45 Superstore Projects
This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post
According to a list released this week, Wal-Mart Stores has abandoned a record-shattering 45 proposed projects over the past 10 months—often leaving local officials dejected and confused. Another 19 Wal-Mart projects have been killed by local citizen’s groups. In total, the world’s largest retailer has suffered an historic loss of 64 projects.
The list of store cancellations was compiled by Sprawl-Busters, which has maintained a database on Wal-Mart battles for more than a decade. Since June, 2007, the Arkansas-based retailer has delayed or killed its own stores in the following communities:
Aledo, IL; Arlington, WA; Belfast, ME; Bonita Springs, FL; Brooksville, FL; Chico, CA; Concord, CA; Crowley, TX; Derry, NH; Elyria, OH; Fircrest, WA; Garden Grove, CA; Gilbert, AZ; Glen Carbon, IL; Hadley, MA; Hemet, CA; Hilo, HI; Isle of Wight, VA; Knightdale, NC; Lake County, FL; Lakeland, FL; Lawrence, NJ; Lewiston, ME; Liberty, OH; Pennfield, MI; Hillsborough, NH; Kilbuck, PA; La Puenta, CA; Marietta, GA; Marysville, WA; Memphis, TN; Morganton, NC; Neptune Beach, FL; Oakley, CA; Oxford, NC; Portland, OR; Raleigh, NC; Ravalli County, MT; Rutland Charter, MI; Spooner, WI; St. Peters, MO; Sioux Falls, SD; Stoughton, WI; Sunrise, FL; Waukesha, WI.
These store withdrawals usually come with little advance notice, and even less explanation. In September, 2007, for example, when Wal-Mart suddenly folded its tent in Lancaster, Massachusetts—3 miles from the construction site of another Wal-Mart superstore—the company issued a terse, four paragraph press release which stated, “The decision is related to Wal-Mart’s recently announced plans to moderate growth of U.S. supercenters as part of leveraging capital resources through a strategy designed to improve returns and sales within U.S. stores.” Such dense statements left local officials scratching their heads in disbelief—sometimes following months, even years, of lobbying by the retailer to get a project approved.
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Posted by Al Norman on Monday, March 31 | 22 comments | Permalink
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