The Indianapolis Star does not spend a lot of ink in its business section…that is likely a tip of the hat to the weekly publication, The Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ).  Local business is the main focus of IBJ, so the Star has chosen to concentrate on other local news.

The Star may not emphasize business reporting, but the newspaper does have a reporter assigned to the business beat and his name is James Briggs.  Reporter Briggs has just published a piece at IndyStar.com about the ordinance just passed by the Fishers City Council governing vacant grocery stores.

The city is basically telling Kroger that those shuttered Marsh stores Kroger recently bought, in an effort to prevent competitors from using the space for another grocery, must receive city approval before being utilized for anything except another grocery store.

Briggs calls this action by Fishers “a smart strategy.”  He argues that the city will now have more control on the types of business that will go into those old Marsh locations.

A Kroger spokesman has voiced opposition to the action by the Fishers Council.  However, Briggs says in his article – “….if you have an interest in maintaining high standards in your community, then it’s hard not to have at least some respect for what Fishers did.”

You can read James Briggs story on the IndStar Web site at this link.