Wal-Mart Abandons Mega-store Format

Wal-Mart abandons mega-stores in favor of locally-owned, downtown shops and embraces sustainable development.

1 minute read

April 1, 2004, 7:00 AM PST

In a dramatic switch in corporate culture, Wal-Mart announces plans to be a good neighbor as it competes in local communities: "Wal-Mart, the big box retailer that altered the face of America with its supersized discount stores, now wants to restore a sense of place to thousands of communities... The Arkansas-based retail giant also announced it would favor local manufacturers over national distributors, and that it is looking into establishing local farmers markets featuring locally-grown produce outside its thousands of North American stores... "We're tired of being on the wrong side of the community-building equation," he added, noting that he believes the firm's bottom line can take a back seat to broader community [regional] goals." [ Editor's note: This is one of several humorous articles in the Project for Public Spaces Aprril 1 "Fsking Places" issue. The full set of articles are available here: http://www.pps.org/info/newsletter/April_First_2004/ ]

Thanks to Chris Steins

FULL STORY: Bye Bye Big Box

Wednesday, March 31, 2004 in Project For Public Spaces

Community / Economic Development United States

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Learn More

Advertise with us

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.