Wal-Mart And The Growth of Bentonville, Arkansas

The New York Times has a report on Wal-Mart taking over the grocery business.But,here's a telling comment in the article:

The enormous leverage Wal-Mart has with its vendors is evident in Bentonville, Ark., where Wal-Mart is based. The vendors, including Coke and Pepsi's largest bottlers and other food and beverage makers, occupy nearby office buildings. The migration has turned Bentonville's once-quiet rural landscape into a booming metropolis. Kraft and Kellogg, for instance, both get 14 percent of their company's total sales from Wal-Mart. General Mills gets 16 percent.

America's big retailing decision aren't being made in New York city or Chicago but Bentonville,Arkansas.New York city and Chicago, still in March of 2006, don't have a Wal-Mart because some unions have restrained trade by purchasing local politicians through campaign contributions.