‘Wal-Mart’s #1 Enemy’ Joins Direct Co-ops to Create First Independent Network for Small Businesses

TORONTO/BOSTON—Small Business activists in Canada and the U.S. are joining forces to fight for a level playing field for local merchants under attack from huge retail companies like Amazon, Walmart, Facebook and Google. Direct Co-ops, Al Norman and Canada’s top broadcaster Steve Anthony announced today the creation of the Direct Local Business Network (DLBN), which will produce podcasts and disseminate news stories via social media with a focus on the small businesses that power the economy, and the conglomerates who are seeking to destroy them.

Al Norman is the founder of Sprawl-Busters, a clearinghouse on big box sprawl issues, and an author/land use consultant who has guided hundreds of communities around the world fighting corporations like Wal-Mart and Amazon. Forbes magazine called Norman “Wal-Mart’s #1 Enemy”. He first stopped a Wal-Mart in his hometown of Greenfield, MA in 1993. Over the past 26 years, he has become known internationally as a citizen-activist and author who helps small towns fight off big retail developers, including an appearance on 60 Minutes, which called Norman the “Guru of the anti -Wal-Mart movement.”. “You can’t buy small town quality of life on any shelf at Walmart,” Norman said. “But once you lose it, you can’t buy it back at any price”.

Norman’s website, http://www.sprawl-busters.com, with more than 4,000 site fight stories going back to 1998, is the largest collection of stories of local big box battles on the internet. His first book, Slam Dunking Wal-Mart: How You Can Stop Superstore Sprawl, has become a classic for neighborhood groups, and his second book, The Case Against Wal-Mart was released in 2004. Both books have been translated into different languages. His latest book, Occupy Walmart, was published in 2012. This book is a collection of essays written for The Huffington Post.

Norman was featured in the PBS documentary Store Wars, about one Virginia town’s battle against Wal-Mart; ITVS film Talking to the Wall; served as a consultant for the movie High Cost of Low Price; was featured in the Our Town movie in Damariscotta, Maine, and in the Canadian movie Wal-Mart Nation. He appeared on Penn & Teller’s show, NBC Nightly News, ABC’s Nightline, The Wall Street Journal Report, CNBC Steals & Deals, among others and has been written up in Time Magazine, The Boston Globe and many others.

The new strategic network DLBN will focus on stories about the “voodoo economics” of the superstore chains, and how monopolistic retail giants are smothering smaller merchants who operate at the local level. Three out of four employers in the U.S. are ‘micro businesses’ with less than 10 employees. “Their voice and their struggles are as critical to our future as anything the Big Box and Online Retailers have to say”, Norman noted.

Toronto-based Direct Global / Direct Co-ops has been working to strengthen the clout of small and medium-sized businesses. Direct Global / Direct Co-ops has already created a group-buying platform and marketplace online for small and medium businesses and co-ops, bringing together local independent businesses to leverage their group buying power, enabling them to achieve better prices on all their purchases. “We’re adding DLBN to small business offerings,” explained CEO Ahmed Attia. “Small merchants need a big voice, and we will concentrate on stories that amplify that voice”. The work of Direct Global / Direct Co-ops allows small retailers to enjoy the same buying power as the big chains and online retailers, stimulating the local communities and economies to level the playing field for our ‘Mom and Pop’ shops.

Award-winning Canadian Broadcaster Steve Anthony, who is the Head of Media and Public Relations at Direct Global / Direct Co-ops, will help produce and co-host a series of podcasts with Norman from Sprawl-Busters that will highlight breaking retail news, along with headline newsmaker interviews of interest to small businesses and community activists. “Supporting these small businesses is what first attracted me to Direct Co-ops”, Anthony said. “Our Direct Local Business Network will help Mom and Pops in hometowns everywhere keep informed and updated on retail, with a consumer/merchant slant”. Podcasts are expected to go into production this spring.

Direct Global / Direct Co-ops is a strategic partner with the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), which has a mandate from Commonwealth Heads of Government to promote intra-Commonwealth trade, investment and the role of the private sector.

Direct Global / Direct Co-ops is joined by the largest business associations, co-ops, nonprofit and government institutions, dedicated to supporting independent business and entrepreneurship and the voice of mom and pop businesses everywhere. Direct Global / Direct Co-ops has developed the most technologically advanced eCommerce platform available on the market today.

“Canada’s Greatest Innovation Since Insulin, Economic Insulin!” – Direct Co-ops

(Published on Business Insider)

Direct Co-ops makes history by uniting over 1,000 American and Canadian businesses to save up to 50% on on their purchases

TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — Direct Co-ops has made history by concluding a group purchase with over 1,000 independent businesses in the USA and Canada combining their purchasing power to buy brand name LED light bulbs, coffee, and cleaning supplies. The collective buy yielded savings of up to 50%. This is milestone for Direct Co-ops in bringing together small businesses and independent contractors and entrepreneurs in USA and Canada to save on their purchasing costs.

Since their introduction on Business News Network (BNN) with Catherine Murray on September 12, 2017, Direct Co-ops has seen a massive influx of small businesses joining and voting on products, in both the USA and Canada.

View the interview on BNN: http://www.bnn.ca/video/mom-and-pop-shops-unite-to-compete-with-amazon~1207123

“Now more than ever, small businesses are being squeezed out by big box retailers,” says Ahmed Attia, CEO and Founder of Direct Co-ops. “Our goal is to level the playing field by bringing all the mom and pops together to help them cut costs much like big business does.”

About Direct Co-ops: Small and medium-sized businesses in North America, who number approximately 29 million in all, can enjoy free membership with www.directcoops.com, helping them to not just survive in the big box era, but to thrive. A Direct Co-ops membership allows companies to vote to reduce costs on 40+ product categories, ranging from light bulbs and coffee, to auto parts and food products. Once enough votes have been secured on a product line (1000 votes), Direct Co-ops is able to negotiate lower prices on that product or product category.

BNN: Mom and pop shops unite to compete with Amazon

Direct Co-ops Founder and CEO Ahmed Attia interviewed on Canada’s national Business News Network (BNN):

Mom and pop shops unite to compete with Amazon

Direct Co-ops has launched an initiative that will see 29 million small and medium enterprises come together to form the world’s largest buying group to help businesses stay competitive with big box retailers. BNN speaks with the organization’s founder and CEO, Ahmed Attia.

Direct Co-ops partners with the global co-operative movement at Disrupting the Disruptors

Disrupting the Disruptors conference was held in Toronto between September 9-10, dedicated to understanding and accelerating platform co-operatives in Canada and all around the world. This event offered a practical exploration of a more equitable digital economy by using co-operatively owned digital platforms. Can co-operative ownership solve the challenges we face from platform monopolies, such as Walmart and Amazon? We explored the possibilities of building a sustainable platform economy that benefits entrepreneurs and all people.

The conference was joined by over 300 co-operatives, associations and other groups representing millions of businesses worldwide. Direct Co-ops joined the conference as one of the pillars of the new digital economy, leveling the playing field for all mom and pops. After understanding the sense of urgency, Direct Co-ops has decided to give their experience and technologies, completely for free, to help stop the bleeding for small independent businesses globally.