Hadley, MA: Wal-Mart Ends Three Year Battle With A Quiet Collapse
Almost two years ago today, Sprawl-Busters reported that the Conservation Commission in Hadley, Massachusetts had ruled that a detention pond near an existing Wal-Mart discount store was a wetland, thus complicating a developer’s plans to build a new 212,000 s.f. Wal-Mart supercenter on land behind their existing Wal-Mart. Today, activists who have been fighting the project since Day One, learned that Wal-Mart and its developer, the Pyramid Companies, have parted ways, and the supercenter project is Hadley in now hardly. David Elvin, an activist with the group Hadley Neighbors, sent Sprawl-Busters the following press release: “Wal-Mart has dropped its plans to build a supercenter in Hadley, Massachusetts. The company’s decision ends three years of efforts to build a 212,000-square foot store at the Hampshire Mall. Representatives for the Pyramid Companies, which is developing the site on which the supercenter was to be built, have notified residents and local officials that Wal-Mart is no longer a prospective tenant. However, Pyramid says it will continue to develop the site and seek new tenants to take Wal-Mart’s place. Wal-Mart continues to operate a regular-sized discount store at the Mountain Farms Mall less than 300 yards away.
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Posted by Al Norman on Tuesday, March 11 | 0 comments | Permalink
Monsey, NY. Wal-Mart Withdraws Plans
For more on this story, check out the New York Times’ writeup from June, 2007.
Wal-Mart withdraws plans to build super-center [Mid-Hudson News (N.Y.)]
Wal-Mart has decided not to build a 215,000 square foot Super Wal-Mart in Monsey, Town of Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence announced Friday.
He said it would not have been a good fit to build it where the company targeted.
“The proposal in Money was on a two-lane Route 59 and they were never able to deal with the traffic and show how this regional store would work,” the supervisor said.
St. Lawrence said he learned of the company’s decision from National Realty Development Corporation, which was involved in the proposal.
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, March 11 | 0 comments | Permalink
Elmira, NY. What Will Wal-Mart Bring?
What does Wal-Mart Supercenter bring with it? [Star-Gazette (N.Y.)]
And now begins “The Great Experiment”—better known as “Is it true the new Wal-Mart Supercenter at Southern Tier Crossing will spell the end for the locally owned retail and grocery stores it is now competing against?”
The idea that Wal-Marts and their smaller competitors are locked in a continual struggle against each other is not new. Neither are reports about the company’s lack of corporate responsibility.
But how many times have you passed one of the stores and noticed its parking lot was empty?
Wal-Mart, the Arkansas-based retailing behemoth that many people love to hate, is the largest private employer in the world and the fourth-largest utility or commercial employer, trailing the Chinese army, the British National Health Service and the Indian Railways.
Wal-Mart is also the largest grocery retailer in the country, with a 20 percent share of the retail grocery and consumables business.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, March 10 | 0 comments | Permalink
Can I Get A Price Check?
Inspectors from the Westchester County (NY) Department of Consumer Protection have found that 64% of merchandise on display at a Wal-Mart store in Mohegan Lake was not item priced.
I’m still trying to decide whether that’s better, or worse, than Wal-Mart’s “roll forward” pricing strategy of trying to pass off “2 for $6” as a better deal than buying one at $2.50. Neither is very nice though.
64% of merchandise unmarked or marked incorrectly seems like an incredibally high number. Two out of every three items for purchase were without prices? Now, how are you supposed to comparison shop if there’s nothing to compare? Perhaps Wal-Mart is asking you to simply take its work that its got the lowest prices. I don’t know though...I’m not sure I can trust anything round and yellow that smiles non-stop like that Wal-Mart smiley face does. Its like he’s hiding something. Oh, wait, he is...the prices!
A 2006 inspection found that same Wal-Mart store had an 81% error rate, at which point the NY Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection fined the store $2,500. So, apparently, a $2,500 fine will buy you just a teeny tiny bit of improvement, which has led the county to plunk down a $27,500 fine this time.
County cites Wal-Mart for pricing violations [Westchester.com]
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Posted by Corey Himrod on Monday, March 03 | 30 comments | Permalink
Tax Avoidance Strategies: Wal-Mart Sues N.Y. Town Over Property Tax Assessment
For every community that hangs its economic hopes on a big box retailer, let LeRay, N.Y., be a lesson. After LeRay assessed the local Wal-Mart supercenter at a taxable value of $13 million, Wal-Mart’s lawyers fired back, claiming the store’s value was less than half that. It’s a blatant attempt on the part of the company to avoid paying the taxes it rightly owes a small community.
This is just one of Wal-Mart’s many tax avoidance schemes (PDF), which it uses to cut expenses. The practice costs communities millions of dollars in lost revenue every year. Now, in addition to potentially losing more than $7 million in revenue, this small New York town is losing money in legal fees and town officials’ time. It’s not something towns would tolerate from smaller retailers, so why should the world’s largest get a free ride?
LeRay, N.Y., facing suit brought by Wal-Mart [Trading Markets]
The town of LeRay is facing a lawsuit by Wal-Mart contesting its assessment of the company’s supercenter on Route 11.
Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust and Wal-Mart Stores East LP is challenging its $13 million assessment in state Supreme Court, saying the actual assessment should be less than half that amount, about $5.7 million. The company filed the lawsuit in July.
However, town Assessor Terry L. Buckley argues that his assessment is fair and that the company is trying to get out of paying its share of taxes. “They’re just trying to get by and pay nothing,” he said.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, February 25 | 4 comments | Permalink
Tilden, PA. Wal-Mart Eyes Community
Wal-Mart chain has interest in Tilden Twp. [Republican Herald (Pa.)]
A Wal-Mart Supercenter and a Lowe’s Home Improvement Center may soon be coming to northern Berks County, but officials for Wal-Mart, the Bentonville, Ark.-based retail giant, were guarded about their plans.
Jim Davis, a regional spokesman for Wal-Mart stores in Pennsylvania, said he was not yet able to confirm or deny the plans that developer Jeremy P. Fogel presented to members of the Tilden Township planning commission this week.
But Davis did say Wal-Mart has “a very definite interest” in the Tilden Ridge Shopping center project, an expansive 430,000-square-foot shopping center that would be anchored by two stores, one a discount department store and the other a home improvement store.
The project is proposed for 63 acres at Mountain and Lowland roads, just adjacent to the Cabela’s store in Tilden Township.
“We can’t confirm anything right now because we don’t have the township’s approval, but what I can say is that we’re very interested in working with the township to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter store at that site, and hopefully increase the tax base and bring more jobs to the area,” Davis said.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, February 25 | 1 comments | Permalink
Tilden, PA. Residents Have Concerns About Proposed Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart concerns neighbors [Republican Herald (Pa.)]
Terry Mengle of Hamburg said she has a “love-hate relationship” with Wal-Mart, the Bentonville, Ark.-based retail giant that may soon build a supercenter in nearby Tilden Township.
“I admit it — I shop there. You almost can’t afford not to if you’re on a tight budget, the prices are so dirt cheap,” said Mengle, doing her laundry Friday morning at the Hamburg Coin Laundry along State Street.
“But I don’t really like how they tend to put some small businesses in their grave wherever they seem to locate. The small stores just can’t compete with their prices.”
Feelings are mixed in this Northern Berks community, days after developer Jeremy P. Fogel presented preliminary plans to members of the Tilden Township Planning Commission to build a mega-shopping center that would include two big box stores, one of which may be a Wal-Mart Supercenter.
On Thursday, Wal-Mart spokesman Jim Davis confirmed that Wal-Mart has “a very definite interest” in the Tilden Ridge Shopping Center project, an expansive 430,000-square-foot shopping center that would be anchored by two stores, one a discount department store and the other a home improvement store.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, February 25 | 0 comments | Permalink
On the Ground: Pennsylvanians Stand Up to Wal-Mart
Every day, communities across the country are working to stop Wal-Mart from coming to their town. Some “site fights” are big and some are small, but they’re all unique and always tough.
Pennsylvania locals writing on the Lehigh Valley Political Blog bring an insider’s view of what it’s like fighting Wal-Mart. The bloggers there explain that a group of Schnecksville, PA, residents requested a copy of Wal-Mart’s proposed plans for their town. Wal-Mart refused. As the dispute boils on in Pennsylvania, it only becomes more clear that Wal-Mart has little regard for community residents, and will do anything to get its way.
In Northwest Lehigh County, The almighty corporation known for its always low prices (and mediocre wages) wants to build a new store in Schnecksville along Route 309. This is in North Whitehall Township, and a group of citizens, calling themselves “North Whitehall Township for Sustainable Developement” are concerned about the impact in their community.
To that end, they went to the Township and asked for a copy of the subdivision plans submitted by Walmart, so they could review and comment on them.
That seems simple enough, doesn’t it?
Guess again.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Thursday, February 21 | 4 comments | Permalink
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