Tuesday Morning News Briefs: 4/16-4/19

In Greenburgh, the town is offering free shuttles to ShopRite once a week, in order to deal with the town's two A&P supermarket closures.

Developer seeks money back from A&P...

A&P has listed the 25 SuperFresh stores for sale.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission here said Wal-Mart has agreed to pay $440,000 to settle a federal harassment lawsuit by 10 employees who said they endured ethnic slurs and derogatory remarks on a daily basis while working at a Sam's Club in Fresno, Calif.

Here's a shocker to some, Target beats Whole Foods in sustainably seafood rankings.

In Massachusetts where a controversial Whole Foods is being planned in a low income area, it was recently discovered a task force official sitting on the Town's Board of Directors is actually employed by Whole Foods.  Whole Foods has also made donations to the town board.  The Wall Street Journal has more on the fight.


D'Agostino's has some new Earth Day plans.

Racked says if you're worried about a Walmart in NYC, there's already a German one in Queens, Aldi.

Walmart workers get $440K after racial slurs.


Walmart also bought a Social Media Firm, Kosmix.  Business Insider tells us why they spent $300 million to buy a Social Media firm.

Don't let Stop & Shop tell you their economic woes, the parent company announced they're investing $4 million to revamp their corporate offices in Quincy, Mass.  More @ Boston Herald.

They [Stop & Shop] also opened a new store in New Haven last week.  And here in New York, they've donated 1,000 pounds of food to the Queens Jewish Community Council for Passover.

Thursday's Mid Week One-Liners: Store Closings, BJ's, Acme, Shaw's

NY1 ran another story on Walmart in NYC, interviewing a Walmart spokesman.

 

The new Fairway Market in Douglaston, Queens will open by the end of the summer. [Patch] [NY Daily News]

Walmart tried building a store on a Civil War battle field, so what why wouldn't they try and build a store in Paradise, California.  Just seems weird, to have a Walmart in a place called Paradise.

Store Closings

BJ's Wholesale Club announced they're laying off 500 workers and closing 5 stores.

Shaw's also announced they'll be closing five stores, three in Rhode Island and two in Connecticut.  So far they've been silent on how many workers the closings will affect, read more @ Boston Globe.

And one more company announced store closings, Acme announced they will close five Philadelphia stores by the end of February.

Must Read: WNYC Blog, Conservatives Use Blizzard to Push Anti-Labor Agenda

Online Organizing was the key to an IEBW Organizing victory this August, read the entire article @ the AFL-CIO Blog.

Bloomberg News reports that Royal Ahold, (Owners of Stop and Shop Supermarket) is more likely to make an acquisition in the U.S. than to sell any units in the country.

Stop & Shop is likely to cut and move workers from it's Quincy headquarters.

Change.org asks if the D.C. Mayor will support 'Good Jobs' or 'Walmart'.

Walmart is having a lot of trouble with environmental studies in Orchard Park, Buffalo.

 

Happy New Year Morning One Liners

YourNabe (Queens Edition) explains the Walmart poll,  gets a few opinions from local elected officials in Queens, U.S. Representative Weiner had to say on the issue,

“I think that Walmart is an omnivorous competitor that squashes small business wherever it goes and small business is the lifeblood of New York City,” Weiner said. “I think that people like the shopping strips of Queens, which would become ghost towns if Walmart moved to the neighborhood.”

The story also quotes the President of the local Chamber of Commerce who said no one has came up to her, asking for a Walmart in the neighborhood.  Read the entire spot here: http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2010/12/30/queens/qns_queens_walmart_20101230.txt  

More @ The Queens Courier 

From Racked via WWD, gives a nicely detailed report on the potential Walmart NYC store format (with picture) with quotes from Steven Restivo, Walmart's Northeast Director of Community Relations, questioning the NYC Council hearing.

Next Animation TV created an interesting video of the Walmart/NYC saga.  The Observer has more.
 

NY Mag tell their readers that 'Wal-Mart Will Invade Brooklyn Come Hell, High Water, Or Lack of Parking Space', and asks, why won't Walmart listen to our disinterest and why do we need a Walmart in NYC?

In non-Walmart news, there will be a CB-11 hearing tonight on the new Fairway in Douglaston, Queens. [Patch]

Upstate NY, Supermarket Price Wars: Weis Markets, Wegman's Aldi, Walmart, Price Chopper continue.

Boston Herald: BJ's Takeover Back in the Spotlight

In Manchester, Iowa, a Mom & Pop store owner is circulating a petition to not allow Walmart's grocery expansion of their store.  The family operated store "Main Street Market" would be in jeopardy of closing if the Walmart expansion would occur. [Chicago Tribune]

Andrew Cuomo is seeking a One-Year salary freeze for all state employees. [NY Times]