Encantado Magazine October 2017 Issue | Page 20

I n t ro d u c i n g SHOP LOCAL Digital Deals is a digital savings book with exclusive deals from local businesses! Want to advertise your Digital Deal ? Contact Us [email protected] The following statistics are from an article on elocal.com. Big Box Chains vs. Local Businesses Statistics – Throughout the United States, only about 33.6% of the revenue from national chains is reinvested into the community, which is very low compared to the 64.8% return from local businesses. (2009) – A study in Austin, Texas found that $100 spent at a local bookstore produced $45 worth of local economic activity, and $100 at the chain store Borders brought back only $13. – National chains often bring loss of employment. The opening of a Wal-Mart reduces retail employment by an average of 150 jobs in the county of its location. – Local businesses are usually established in city centers, instead of on the margins of com- munities like large chains, so they contribute less to pollution, congestion, habitat loss and urban sprawl. If the people of an average American city were to shift 10% of their spending from chains to local businesses, it would bring an additional $235 million per year to the community’s economy.