Category Archives: Bill Grimsey

“Against All Odds” – Independent Business Success Stories

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Leigh Sparks

Over the last decade or so Bill Grimsey has carved out a niche in directing a review team to look at high streets, town centres and retailing and to present ideas for what we should do about improving them.  Summarising … Continue reading →

Posted in Bill Grimsey, Closure, Covid19, Finance, Government, Home Delivery, Independents, Innovation, Local Retailers, Online Retailing, Rates, Retailers, Retailing, Small Shops, Start-ups | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Independent Retailing During and After the Pandemic: Tell your Stories

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Leigh Sparks

In my last post one of the statements that garnered quite a lot of attention was “As an example, I am hearing of (and locally seeing) quite a lot of local independent businesses opening up, and a better realism of … Continue reading →

Posted in #IndieHour, Bill Grimsey, Collaboration, Community, Convenience, Entrepreneurship, Government, Independents, Local Retailers, Online Retailing, Pandemic, Retailers, Retailing, Scotland, Scotland Loves Local, Scotland's Improvement Districts, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Uncategorized, Wholesaling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Scotland’s Town Centre Action Plan Review

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

On 1st July 2020, it was announced that an Expert Review Group had been formed by the Scottish Government to undertake an appraisal of the Town Centre Action Plan published in 2013 as a response to the National Review of … Continue reading →

Posted in Barclay Review, BIDS, Bids Scotland, Bill Grimsey, Community, Consumer Change, Consumer Lifestyle, Consumers, Government, Health, Internet shopping, Local Retailers, Public Realm, Retail Change, Retailers, Scotland, Scotland's Improvement Districts, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Shopping, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Action Plan Review Group, town centre first, Town Centre Living, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Understanding Scottish Places | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Build Back Better: Bill Grimsey and Covid

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

When Mary Portas produced her report for the UK Government on high streets, Bill Grimsey was quick to posit an alternative and to focus on leadership and technology for places.  His report and its follow-up a few years later have … Continue reading →

Posted in Bill Grimsey, CLES, Community, Consumers, Covid19, Government, High Streets, Leadership, Local Authorities, Mary Portas, Places, Proactive Planning, Public Policy, Regulation, Reinvention, Retail Change, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Social Justice, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Trading Places: our Town and Country Planning Columns

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Putting Towns on the Policy Map: Understanding Scottish Places (USP) and Data

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Wrong Vocabulary?

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

One of the recurring themes within this blog, and some of the writings and papers it has reported on, is the inexactitude of many of the terms and concepts that we use in discussing retail change. Going beyond that, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Bill Grimsey, Community, ESRC, High Streets, Local Data Company, Mary Portas, PhD, Places, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Vacancies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Turmoil at Tesco

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

Wow, Just Wow. It is almost beyond belief, and there may be more to come yet. I’ve written about the trials and tribulations of Tesco before (here and here for example), but have generally taken the view that a crisis … Continue reading →

Posted in Bill Grimsey, Competition, Food Retailing, Hypermarkets, Market Shares, Online Retailing, Profits, Tesco | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Re-imagining the High Street with Technology

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

The Grimsey Review of 2013 very strongly made the case that the high street of the future (or indeed of the present) has to embrace the digital world into which many of us have increasingly moved. As technology and consumers … Continue reading →

Posted in Bill Grimsey, Car Parking, High Streets, Independents, Loyalty, Multichannel, Online Retailing, Regeneration, Technology, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Government Speaks, and …

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Leigh Sparks

Last Thursday, all eyes turned to Kilmarnock as Derek Mackay launched the Scottish Government’s response to the Fraser Review (the National Review of Town Centres). The response, with its 37 actions, had been eagerly awaited over the Autumn, and now … Continue reading →

Posted in Bill Grimsey, Government, High Streets, Places, Rates, Regulation, Retail Policy, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Town Centre Review, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments