The New York Neighborhood Alliance, a group composed of local small business owners, today released its first in a planned series of commercials opposing the expansion of Walmart into New York City.
The New York Neighborhood Alliance believes the introduction of Walmart would have a devastating effect on the thousands of small businesses that make up the fabric of New York’s many diverse neighborhoods and communities. Multiple studies have reached the same conclusion as bankrupt small business owners across
the U.S., that Walmart pushes out locally owned stores, and destroys more jobs than it creates. Statistics show that over twenty-five percent of local businesses are forced to shut down in communities where Walmart opens.
“Walmart has proven to be a destructive force on small businesses across the country,” said David Schwartz, Co-Founder of the New York Neighborhood Alliance. “Hundreds of mom and pop shops will have no choice but to shutter their doors and go out of business if Walmart were permitted to operate in New York City.”
In a recent survey of the city’s voters, Quinnipiac University found that 68% feel Walmart’s cheap deals would hurt small businesses.
Allowing a big box store like Walmart to operate in New York would force existing small businesses to close, increase the vehicle traffic in our neighborhoods and eliminate the entrepreneurial spirit that has been the heart of this city for generations.
“These businesses are the lifeblood of New York. This city was built on the American dream of entrepreneurship and hard work and allowing a Walmart to open here would end that dream for this and future generations of New Yorkers,” said Brad Gerstman, Co-Founder of the New York Neighborhood Alliance.
