What to Read on Thursday Afternoon:

Report: Foul Ball, Walmart is potentially eying a site across the street from Citi Field. 

More @ NY1.

The Gothamist is reporting that the initial report of Walmart @ Citi has no merit. 

The community in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, has been fighting against a Walgreens replacing their only grocery store.  Yesterday Marty Markowitz joined 200 community members protesting in front of the shuttered grocery store.

"We have shown that it is possible for many years for this community to support a supermarket here," Councilman Brad Lander, D-Park Slope, told the agitated crowd assembled near the increasingly decrepit storefront at 589 Prospect Avenue.

More @: DNAinfo: Windsor Terrace Community to Walgreens: Stay out of our Neighborhood.
Brooklyn Eagle,  Patch,  Community wants Fresh Food not Drugs, Check out the campaign site Greenbeans not Walgreens.

Working in These Times asks what the CEO change @Supervalu means for the UFCW.

Two store fronts, one owner, one year: A Key Food Superstore just opened this May in New Rochelle on Pelham Rd, now they'll rename the store to Torino Market a Taste of Italy, the store is still owned by Uncle Giuseppe's. 


Target will gladly take your gay money but won't support marriage equality.  Their new marketing campaign is geared towards being "yourself" but, don't ask them to support you.

"Target is no better than Walmart," Canadian UFCW President.

Bloomberg Business Week looks where Walmart stands in the Political world.

Josh Eidelson of In These Times has an excellent in depth piece on the striking Palermo's Pizza workers in Wisconsin.

Stop & Shop will open their Hyde Park store in November.

The Fresh Market continues to grow, they hit a new 52-week high.

The Caterpillar strike is now in its fourth month. On July 25, Caterpillar reported a second-quarter profit of $1.7 billion, or $2.54 per share, up 67 percent from the year-earlier period's $1.02 billion, or $1.52 per share. Revenue was $17.4 billion.  That apparently is not enough.


Walmart named a former KPMG exec to their board.

Rite Aid is facing a strike threat in Orange County, California.

Excited about Mitt Romney's plan?  Hike Middle Class Taxes, Outsource American Jobs.  Another reason why UFCW members should support the Active Ballot Club.


Last Saturday the Oregon AFL-CIO set up "Hug a Thug" tables in an Oregon park, conservatives love calling Union members "Thugs" so the Oregon AFL-CIO wanted to remind the community that these so called "Thugs" are firefighters, teachers, nurses, cops, postal workers and hundreds of people they interact with each day.

Forced to work with a broken ankle? Really?!  Check out a first hand look at what went on at a Poultry Plant in Arkansas and what brought workers together to fight for change and for a union.

Thursday News Recaps @ Noon: Tengelmann A&P Exit Expected, New Fairway Markets

#A&P
Eight (8) former Superfresh stores (parent, A&P) were taken over by Fresh & Green's, some stores have already opened, while a few are still under renovations.

REPORT: Tengelmann Group to exit A&P in bankruptcy process...

A&P launched a new brand of organic local chickens....More @PhillyBlurbs.

#TargetChange
Target will offer groceries and fresh food in Canada. More @CTV.  The Wall Street Journal predicts their Canadian entry will affect other American retailers there.

Long Island Herald: Labor Board Reviews Target Valley Stream Union Vote.

Target told Valley Stream employees they couldn't afford to give raises to them...But they did find a way to spend $760,000 on lobbying in 1Q.

#WalmartNYC
Walmart cozies up to Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

The Brooklyn Rail: No Place for Walmart.

Walmart in New York City is far from inevitable. As one market analyst put it, Walmart needs New York City more than New York City needs Walmart, thus echoing the views of other company watchers. The company has grown desperate, but its urban growth strategy in still largely untested and unproven. So opponents feel that they can escalate their campaign and make it much harder for Walmart to come in.

Great Read: Bloomberg News: With Walmart's Sex Suit Win, The Jokes on Women.


#Elsewhere/Industry

Albertsons announced last week they'll be removing their self checkouts in order to focus on more customer service.

Fairway Market is making lease deals to open a store in Passaic County in New Jersey and another in South Shore in Nassau County next year. The grocery chain will also open a store in Rockland County in 2013.  Read more @ Wall Street Journal.

In Amityville, NY, a new Stop & Shop is currently being built, though the sign color scheme was not allowed according to a town law, the town's planning board has just OK'd the new color scheme. [Newsday]

Stop & Shop also debuted 'Scan IT! Mobile', allowing shoppers to complete their entire purchase on their iphone.

In the wake of two closing supermarkets in Greenburgh, NY, two more will open this year. [lohud]

Aldi wants to open up in Buffalo (NY), but some law makers are skeptical on it drawing business away from small, local shops.


Ahold has named a new pharmacy SVP.

Thousands of SoCal Union members are supporting grocery workers fighting for a new contract.

Here's an update on California UFCW negotiations....[KDAF] [LA Times]

An HBO Documentary of the Stella D'Oro strike is being released, telling the workers story. 

Via UFCW: MoveOn.org is launching a new effort--and they need our help. The goal is to help create a "Contract for the American Dream"—a people-powered plan for creating an economy that works for ALL of us. UFCW members and allies can play a key role in this effort: helping to choose the best ideas for fixing our economy.

Friday Weeks End One Liners: Pathmark, Walmart's 2nd No Show, Aldi's NY Invasion

Image via Wikipedia

#Pathmark/ #A&P 

Borough President Marty Markowitz says he'll help find a replacement for the Pathmark closing in Brooklyn.

Daily News: Sheepshead Bay Pathmark soon to close, leaving void in neighborhood. 

Newark Post: A&P Seeks Bankruptcy Court Permission to close Glassgow Pathmark.

A&P Names 6 new Execs after announcing the closing of 32 stores.

Philly.com: A&P Closing 10 Philly Area Stores.

Progressive Grocer: A&P Shuttering 32 Stores.

The Real Deal: Sheepshead Bay Pathmark Closing.

NBC Philly: Hundreds of Jobs on the line with A&P closures.

#WalmartNYC

Yesterday, the New York City Council held a hearing on Walmart's labor history.  The hearing was filled with testimonies from Women's Advocacy groups, former Walmart employees, Unions, Attorneys, Gay Advocacy groups, Researchers & community groups.  Though Walmart was extended an invitation, they did not attend, again. 

The RWDSU recapped yesterday's hearing

NELP: That's A LOT of Wage Theft, Walmart! Testimony of Annette Bernhardt, Ph.D.   

Crain's: Walmart Hearings, Round 2.

Defending Walmart is a fireable offense @NYObserver 

Fox: No Love for Walmart in NYC.

Melissa Mark Viverito debates Walmart in NYC on NY1, check it out!

#Elsewhere

Borders Bookstore has filed for bankruptcy and announced they'll be closing 200 stores.

Target is opening a smaller format store in Chicago, seems like a growing trend for cookie cutter stores trying to break into urban markets.

Walmart in South Africa, 'The Beast in the Bush'; Economist.

WSJ: Pressure on Walmart to show strategy.

Take action on behalf of the workers in Wisconsin! From the UFCW International:

Workers and their allies in Wisconsin are gearing up for a drawn out fight with the state's new Republican governor Scott Walker, who has announced a plan to roll back state government employee rights by decades, and has called on the Wisconsin legislature to enact it quickly--calling out the National Guard if necessary!  

Head here for more info and to help out the workers in Wisconsin! http://www.ufcwaction.org/site/PageServer?pagename=UFCW_Leg_Wisconsin 

Bloomberg's new City budget calls for over 6,000 teaching job cuts.

UFCW President and Change to Win Chair, Joe Hansen Denounces Congressman Boehner’s Pro-Unemployment Remarks. [Press Release]

Consumerist: Walmart says returning books and magazines is illegal?

Aldi (under the Trader Joe's corporate umbrella) had their grand opening in NYC (Queens) today. They have huge expectations for NYC. [Press Release]  They've also said, they're not done opening stores in NYC.   

via Crain's: In the Bronx, Aldi signed a lease at 1750 E. Gun Hill Rd. near the Westchester County line in a nearly vacant shopping center. The 18,000-square-foot store is expected to open late this year, though construction has not begun yet.
In Bayshore, Aldi has a space at 1851 Sunrise Highway. The Rego Park store is located at 61-11 Junction Boulevard.

It's great to see affordable supermarkets opening, though, Aldi stores don't generate many jobs for communities, and the jobs that they do provide aren't union.   We see Target opening smaller stores in Chicago and Walmart focusing on smaller store formats, these stores are looking to eliminate jobs and replace them with more demanding working conditions for less pay.  Not only do we need healthy and affordable food options, but we need jobs that provide paths for career development, health care and provide solid, sound means to supporting families. Enjoy your weekend and as former Walmart worker Kenneth James said to me yesterday after his testimony, "Keep fighting the good fight."  

Another Pathmark to close, Wednesday Morning Read

Image by Paul Lowry via Flickr

Yet another Pathmark is slated to close this month, this time in Randolph, one of Pathmark's oldest stores, will be closing after 39-years. Here's a quote from Laura La Bruno, A&P's senior director of public relations:

"... As part of our overall strategy, store locations are consistently analyzed and assessed based on a number of factors including performance and market conditions," the statement said. "Stores that have been underperformers for quite some time, despite the best efforts of our management, employees and increased promotional programs which still do not achieve satisfactory operating results must be closed.

" ... While some employees are being offered work elsewhere in our retail chain, to those associates who are affected by this decision, we thank them for their dedication and great efforts over their years of service and regret the impact this closure will have on those who will be leaving the company. And of course, we thank our valued customers for their patronage over the years and hope they will continue to allow us to serve them at the nearest Pathmark location."

Cirangle, who said she had worked at the store for 27 years, said that pharmacy employees would be allowed to apply for jobs at A&P, but they would have to first resign their positions with Pathmark and reapply A&P because "Pathmark pharmacy employees are union and A&P's are not."

This is the second store closure Pathmark has announced this month, the other was in Wall, NJ.

Industry
Safeway makes healthy strides by giving their employees incentives to live healthy lifestyles.

The Pennslyvania Liquore Control will test self scanning kiosks, to determine if they can prevent the sale of alcohol to underage consumers.

Developments
Wal-Mart plans to open more Supercenters in Western Canada.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz recommended the approval of the "Navy Green" housing development at the old Brooklyn Navy Yard, a site that is hungry for a supermarket.

Another BJ's Wholesale Club is inches away from approval in Jersey.

Target plans to open 23 new stores, 17 expanded general merchandise with groceries and two full grocery stores.

Manhattan is the only large US County to see wages fall in 2008.

They Coney Island re-development has been approved.

Politics & City
A bipartisian bill is currently going through congress to slow down the rising cost of food.

Gillibrand has outlined a plan to cut childhood obesity.

NY State Supreme Court has blocked Patterson's Lt. Gov selection.

The New York Times wonders if unions will continue to back Patterson.

The Second Avenue Subway has been delayed...again.

Riverhead Wal-Mart barred, Another Wal-Mart supplier accused of sweatshop conditions & Friday Morning One Liners...

Image via Wikipedia

Newsday covers the barred opening of the Riverhead Wal-Mart.

Another Wal-Mart supplier has been accused of sweatshop conditions, employees were forced into 19 hour work days while being paid sometimes less than $20.00 a month.

Brooklyn Borough President and Atlantic Yards supporter Marty Markowitz has received between $680,000 and $1.075 million from Atlantic Yards-affiliated companies since 2003, via donations to non-profit companies he created

The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday it and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. have reached a settlement over alleged violations of the Clear Air Act, which prohibits the sale or distribution of nonessential products containing ozone-depleting substances.

In a letter to Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber, City Council member John Liu spoke out against the Willets Point redevelopment plan

Supermarket stocks suffered a tumble along with the broader market Thursday as investors continued to sell.

Read more of this story 

Two owners of an Associated Supermarket in Brooklyn were arrested this week and charged with filing false documents with the state, defrauding employees and paying illegal wages.

Read more of this story

Wal-Mart Stores wants to merge the ideas of price and sustainability in its message to consumers, the executive vice president of the company's grocery division said at a conference here yesterday.

Read more of this story 

The Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday said it has charged two former top executives at drug store chain Duane Reade with accounting fraud, alleging that they executed false-payment schemes that inflated the company's profits.

Read more of this story

Politics

Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, a McCain campaign co-chairman, edged up to an explicitly racial attack on Barack Obama on Thursday, describing the Illinois Senator as a "guy of the street" before raising his youthful drug use