Ironic news story title of the day, given that, in America, Patagonia is a brand that has, almost solely, demonstrated that privately-held, independent business can get big and still walk its talk…while Wal-Mart has, though it’s been improving, marked itself as the enemy of local, independent business by making cheap stuff in China etc and paying their workers not very much.

Wal-mart has won the vote of 85% of Patagonians, over the protests of small mom n’pop locally-owned stores, and will move into Patagonia. Excerpt:

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is pressing farther into remote Patagonia, where residents of the picturesque resort of Bariloche approved its “hypermarket” in a referendum, overcoming the objections of small store owners who fear competition from the huge new store.

Eighty-five percent of the 30,000 voters said “yes” to the 6,000 square meter (23,500 square-foot) store, which promises to offer 25,000 products at lower prices.

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