| 41. | Most retail is located in the town centre with a variety of independent stores, cafes and restaurants.
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| 42. | Shop Rite, another major competitor, includes groups of independent stores with no public financing and shallower pockets.
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| 43. | But the biggest weapon independent stores have is their ability to deliver high-quality customer service, said VanCleave.
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| 44. | He said the decline in independent stores has other causes, such as competition from online book services.
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| 45. | Glitzy national chains draw customers, but they also drive up rents and drive out smaller independent stores.
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| 46. | The independent stores have also requested an injunction to force the chains to change their business practices.
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| 47. | Not many independent stores can survive that.
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| 48. | One independent store that expects to do gangbusters is Classic Designs Fine Jewelers in the Glendale Galleria.
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| 49. | In Phoenix, where PetSmart opened in 1987, the number of small independent stores has shrunk, retailers say.
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| 50. | Independent stores are very important to us, and we have always developed programs for their unique situations.
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