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Spring Sales Forecasts Rise
Michigan retailers boosted their threemonth sales forecasts after posting improved sales in February. Page 3
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Retailer Runs for Congress
Traverse City retailer and former state senator Jason Allen is seeking the Republican nomination in the 1st Congressional District. Page 4
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Parental Leave Policy
The birth of your own child is a good reminder to update your organization’s parental leave policies. Page 9
® April 2016 Vol. 41 No. 2
Legislators start work to prevent locals from regulating plastic bags Legislation to prevent local governments from outlawing or regulating stores’ use of plastic bags and other containers has been introduced in the Michigan Senate. Senate Bill 853 would pre-empt counties, cities, townships and villages from adopting ordinances banning stores’ use or sale of “auxiliary containers.” It defines an auxiliary container as a bag, cup, bottle or other packaging, whether reusable or single-use, that is made of cloth, paper, plastic, cardboard, corrugated material, aluminum, glass, postconsumer recycled material or similar material and is designed for transporting, consuming or protecting merchandise, food or beverages. It also would prohibit local governments from requiring a fee on the containers. The bill follows the lead of other states that have taken action to prevent a patchwork of local rules that place a burden on retailers and consumers. MRA supports the new legislation, said William J. Hallan, executive vice president, chief operating officer and general counsel. “The legislation is consistent with actions taken by other states and with the local pre-emption law passed by Michigan lawmakers last year dealing with local wages and benefits,” Hallan said. “Although the legislation does not prevent a possible statewide ban on plastic bags in the future, it does ensure that regulations are not adopted haphazardly by local governments throughout the state. Uniformity is import for Michigan businesses. “Subjecting business owners to a patchwork of different local regulaContinued on page 7
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Buy Nearby expanding to weekend Michigan Retailers Association’s Buy Nearby campaign is planning to double the size of its signature fall event by expanding it from the first Saturday to the entire first weekend in October.
The annual celebration of the yearround campaign to encourage local shopping in Michigan will also get a new, brand-friendly name: I Buy Nearby Weekend. The changes were recommended
by the MRA Board of Directors to enable more Michiganders to participate in Buy Nearby. Participation demonstrates their commitment to their communities by shopping at retail businesses near where they live, work, vacation or visit, said MRA President and CEO James P. Hallan. “Our organization is proud of the success Buy Nearby is having and wants to keep it growing,” Hallan said. “We want more shoppers to hear the Buy Nearby message and make a personal commitment to support their local communities and Michigan’s economy. They do that by buying from businesses that have invested in Michigan and are creating Continued on page 5
Malls beating web as ‘Earth-friendly’
Americana John Foss built the 120-year-old bakery, and his descendants owned
Concerned about the impact consumer shopping makes on the environment? A new report finds shopping in a mall makes 7 percent less impact on the environment than shopping online. “…[M]all shopping represents a better sustainability performance over online shopping,” the report concludes. “Furthermore, in an age when consumers are increasingly demanding same-day or fast delivery, which requires more resources such as fuel to fulfill, the negative impact of online shopping is likely to worsen even more.” It adds, “Put simply, the choices customers make regarding how they buy products and how they utilize product return options have clear impacts on the environmental footprint.” The study was conducted by Simon, a global leader in retail real estate ownership, management and development, and Deloitte Consulting, a global business consulting firm. Malls came out on top environmentally because:
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The cops of Cops & Doughnuts: (from left) “Bubba” Alan White, “Grasshopper” David Saad, “Beaver” John Pedjac, “Junior” Richard Ward, “Midge” Dwayne Miedzianowski, “Dogman” Brian Gregory, “Bulldog” Greg Kolhoff, “Ryno” Greg Rynearson, “Squirt” Jeremy McGraw.
Cops rescue old bakery, build national following by Doug Henze
It was 2009 – in the depths of the Great Recession – and Clare’s historic downtown was going dark. Half a dozen businesses had failed. Even the city bakery, operating continuously since 1896, was at risk of closing. Enter the town’s nine-officer police force, which pulled off a different type of rescue. Pooling their paychecks, they transformed
a struggling bakery with less than $100,000 in annual revenue into Cops & Doughnuts, which had $3 million in sales last year. Through media attention and highway billboards, the shop – named by one of the officers’ young sons – has built a national reputation and now ships products across the country. “We just didn’t want to see the bakery die,” recalled Greg Rynearson, company president. “The bakery was the second-oldest business. The only one that beat it was the grain elevator.”