Author: Leigh Sparks
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Category Archives: Academics
Food, health and data: developing transformative food retailing
In early November 2018, a book on Case Studies in Food Retailing and Distribution was published, edited by John Byrom and Dominic Medway. Amongst the very wide ranging and interesting chapters, was an effort by myself and two colleagues from … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Behavioural Economics, Books, Data, Diet and Health, Digital, Ethics, Food, Food Retailing, Health, Loyalty, Loyalty Schemes, Retailers, Social Change, Uncategorized, Well being
Tagged Academics, Companies, Consumers, Data, Diet and Health, Ethics, Finland, Health, Loyalty, Retailing, Scotland, Society, Transformative, Wellbeing
2 Comments
Trading Places: our Town and Country Planning Columns
In 2012 Anne Findlay and I attempted to take over from Professor Cliff Guy who had provided the Trading Places columns in Town and Country Planning for 12 years. In the subsequent 6 years we have produced 23 columns, but … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Alcohol, BIDS, Bill Grimsey, Bookmakers, Consumer Change, Consumers, Farm Shops, Food Retailing, Government, High Streets, Internet shopping, Mary Portas, Places, Planning, Pop-Up Shops, Proactive Planning, Rates, Resilience, Retail Change, Retail Parks, Retail Planning, Retail Policy, Social Inequality, Town & Country PLanning, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Uncategorized
Tagged BIDs, Bookmakers, Business rates, Consumer change, Farm Shops, High Streets, Obesity, Planning, Pop-Up Shops, Rates, Retail, Retail Change, retail parks, Retail Planning, TCPA, Town and Country Planning, Town Centres
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Putting Towns on the Policy Map: Understanding Scottish Places (USP) and Data
As an academic, I probably have an irrational interest in data. To a great extent it is academic life-blood and I seem to have spent a lot of my adult life either obsessing or arguing over it. It therefore really … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Bill Grimsey, Consumer Change, Data, High Streets, Internet shopping, Large Store Levy, Leadership, Local Authorities, Online Retailing, Rates, Retail Change, Retailers, Sales, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scottish Retail Consortium, Scottish Retailing, Shop Numbers, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Understanding Scottish Places
Tagged Business rates, Data, Fraser review, Grimsey Review, High Streets, Local Authorities, Online retailing, Retail Change, Retail Data, Scotland, scottish retail consortium, Shops, towns, Understanding Scottish Places, USP
1 Comment
“No Town Immune”: Data and reporting
On Tuesday afternoon, I was contacted by a journalist (Stephen Naysmith) from The Herald about the upcoming Local Data Company/PwC report on high streets. He sent me the (then) embargoed press release. I attach it here for those interested and … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Closure, Data, Government, High Streets, Independents, Internet, Local Data Company, Online Retailing, Places, Retail Failure, Retailers, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scottish Retailing, SNP, Town Centres, Towns, Understanding Scottish Places, Vacancies
Tagged Churn, closures, Data, failure, High Street, Local Data Company, Openings, PwC, Scotland, SNP, towns
6 Comments
Healthy Ageing in Scotland (HAGIS) and Online Shopping
We are all getting older, even if many of us are feeling younger than our chronological age. The ageing of the population is a recurrent theme cutting across topics and activities. But, in all of the discussion, there is a … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Consumers, Digital, HAGIS, Healthy Ageing, Institute for Retail Studies, Internet, Internet shopping, Older consumers, Online Retailing, Retail Change, Retailing, Technology, University of Stirling
Tagged Ageing, HAGIS, Healthy Ageing, Internet, Older consumers, Retailing, Scotland, Shopping
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“Argos catalogues – a fascinating historical archive”
Rather to my surprise, in the eight or so years this blog has been in existence I seem not to have mentioned my collection of Argos catalogues, except tangentially. Built up and in-filled after an initial donation some 20 years … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Argos, Brands, Catalogues, Consumer Change, Corporate History, Design, History, Milton Keynes, Pricing, Products, Research, Retail brands, Retail Change, Retail History, Retailers, Social Change
Tagged Argos, Catalogues, Consumer change, Design, History, Price, Products, Retail Change, Social Change
3 Comments
Happy 50th to/from the University of Stirling
I’ve mentioned it a couple of times in this blog, but more often on Twitter – 2017/18 is the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the University of Stirling. Whilst I have not been here since the start (honest), though … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Art, Christmas, Corporate History, Education, Heritage, History, Institute for Retail Studies, Japanese, Retail Degrees, Retail History, Retailing, Singapore, Stirling, University of Stirling
Tagged 50 Objects, Asia, Campus Supermarket, History, Institute for Retail Studies, International, MBA, Photography, Retail, Singapore, Singapore Retailers Association, Stirling, Supermarket, University of Stirling
1 Comment
Time Out in Lisbon: Part Two
Following on from my personal wander around Lisbon and the Mercado da Ribeira (Part One), and on the day after my keynote presentation on retail, consumption and urban governance (the overheads are here), the conference had its own ambulation around … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Architecture, Brands, Buildings, Consumer Lifestyle, High Streets, Historic Shops, History, Lisbon, Localisation, Places, Public Realm, Regeneration, Reinvention, Resilience, Retail Change, Retail History, Retailing, Shopfronts, Streets, Streetscapes, Tourism, Town Centres, Urban History
Tagged Boulevards, Flagships, Historical shops, Lisbon, Places, Retailing, Streets, Streetscapes, Town Centres
2 Comments
Time Out in Lisbon: Part One
It has been some time since I was in Lisbon and thus it was a pleasure to receive an invite to present a keynote to a conference on retail, consumption and urban governance, especially in early autumn, which is slightly … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Architecture, Brands, Eataly, Emporium Shokuhin, Food and Beverage, Food Court, Food Tourism, Gastronomy, Historic Shops, History, Lisbon, Markets, Places, Regeneration, Retailers, Scotland Food and Drink, Singapore, Time Out, Tourism
Tagged Brands, Eataly, Food Culture, Food Tourism, Lisbon, Markets, Mercado da Ribeira, Regeneration, Scotland's Food and Drink, Singapore, Time Out, Tourism
3 Comments
Embracing Failure in the Shadow of Success
This post’s title is the sub-title from a book I recently read. It concerns Mick Channon Jnr and his relationship with his father, who he describes as “an arthritic workaholic grumpy old bastard” and only grudgingly as an ex England … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Bookmakers, Charity Shops, Closure, Consumer Lifestyle, Discounters, Heritage, High Streets, Local Retailers, Markets, Places, Planning, Pound Shops, Property, Regeneration, Retail Economy, Shopfronts, Social Inequality, Social Justice, Store Closures, Town Centres, Towns
Tagged Bookmakers, Books, Class, Community, Discounters, failure, Football, Gentrification, High Street, Horses, Pound shops, Retail, Retail Change, Success
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