Detroit-area supermarkets are shrinking in face of "wholesale stores" with Walmart still to come.
"The Metro Detroit grocery industry has become a battlefield... Multiple stores vying for the food dollar of one cross-shopping suburban mom -- is a microcosm of today's grocery industry... Discount juggernauts such as Costco Wholesale Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are crowding out traditional supermarkets on one end, while specialty and health food stores such as Whole Foods chip away at the other... The impact is already evident in Metro Detroit. Once-dominant Michigan chains like Spartan Stores, Meijer Inc. and Farmer Jack have been forced to cut wages, shutter dozens of stores and -- just since September -- eliminate more than 1,100 hourly and management jobs. The good paying union grocery jobs are being replaced by lower-paying jobs at places like Wal-Mart. With families stretching their food dollars by shopping at superstores, many neighborhood grocers could be driven out of business. Experts say further job losses and store closures are inevitable as industry newcomers are eroding longtime loyalties by appealing to consumers' desire for value and quality. And the biggest tidal wave hasnt even hit Metro Detroit grocers yet: Wal-Mart..." [Related stories at http://www.detnews.com/2004/business/0402/08/a01-58064.htm and http://www.detnews.com/2004/business/0402/08/a08-57973.htm.]
Thanks to Richard Layman
FULL STORY: Savvy shoppers pinch traditional food stores: Discount, specialty giants shake up grocery industry
Legendary Parking Guru Donald Shoup Dies at 86
Urbanists are mourning the loss of a dynamic voice for parking reform and walkable cities.
DOT Memo Directs Transportation Funding to Communities With Higher Marriage and Birth Rates, Compliance with Immigration Officials and No Mask Mandates
The memo ties immigration enforcement to federal funding and prohibits mask or vaccine mandates.
Washington State E-Bike Rebate Set to Launch in April
The state program will offer up to $1,200 to fund the purchase of electric bikes.
BLM Approves Controversial Oil and Gas Leases on Navajo Land
The parcels are located near a sensitive archaeological site, but some Indigenous leaders approve of the move, which will bring in millions in revenue.
Hong Kong Cab Hailing App Folds — and Uber Takes Over
HKTaxi launched a year before Uber came to town. Now, it’s shutting down. Lawmakers worry a monopoly looms.
Rural Homelessness Could Be Vastly Underestimated, Study Finds
The annual ‘point in time’ count fails to capture the diverse types of situations experienced by unhoused people in rural communities.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Standridge Inc.
City of Brookings
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service