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Article: THE WAL-MART BACKLASH: RETAILER'S REPUTATION HIT AS INGLEWOOD SAYS `NO'.
- Article from:
- WWD
- Article date:
- April 8, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Conde Nast Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Bad timing and poor p.r.
Those were the factors that contributed to a surprisingly overwhelming loss for Wal-Mart as Inglewood voters said no thanks to a supercenter. The vote also got caught up in the increasing outcry over rising unemployment and jobs moving overseas, both of which are central issues in the presidential campaign.
But while voters' rejection could have broader implications for Wal-Mart's expansion plans elsewhere in California -- where it hopes to open 40 supercenters within the next three to five years -- and even in other states, it was taking the loss in stride on Wednesday. After all, Wal-Mart simply may ...