Category Archives: Brands

Toast – Green Shield Stamps

Green Shield Stamps could be traded in for ‘free’ gifts so why did consumers abandon them? Sean Farrington examines their rise and fall and discovers how they spawned a famous retail chain which is still trading. The stamps were the … Continue reading

Posted in 1960s, Argos, Brands, Catalogues, Consumer Change, Consumers, Green Shield Stamps, Loyalty, Loyalty Schemes, Retail Failure, Retail History, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebrating 40 years of the Institute for Retail Studies at the University of Stirling

Anyone entering the library at the heart of the University of Stirling in recent weeks can not help but notice the latest use of the exhibition space. It’s been taken over by us retailers, to celebrate 40 years of retail … Continue reading

Posted in Academics, Alumni, archives, Branding, Brands, Exhibitions, Food Retailing, Institute for Retail Studies, Private brands, Products, Retail brands, Retail Change, Retail Degrees, Retail History, Retail Research, Retailer Branding, Shopping, Stirling, Uncategorized, University of Stirling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Grocery Market Shares in Great Britain (GB) 1997-2023

It’s July and that can only mean one thing – it is time again to update the grocery market share data for Great Britain in the latest instalment of slow data for this series. Regulars to this blog know that I have … Continue reading

Posted in Aldi, Asda, Brands, Competition, Data, Discounters, Food Retailing, Grocery retailing, Inflation, Kantar, Lidl, Market Shares, Morrisons, Retailers, Sainsbury, Tesco, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Then there were three?

British grocery retailing has for decades been dominated by a small number of large and powerful retailers. That remains the case. Over the period however the number of firms involved has altered. In the 1980s we talked about the “big … Continue reading

Posted in Aldi, Asda, Brands, CMA, Cost of Living, Discounters, Food Retailing, Grocery, Kantar, Lidl, Market Shares, Morrisons, Retail brands, Retail Change, Retail Sales, Retailers, Sainsbury, Tesco | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Cost-of-living Crisis and its impact on Retailers and their Customers

A few weeks ago, I posted a Q&A session I had done with The Conversation on the cost-of-living crisis. At the time I was working on a longer piece for the Economics Observatory. We wanted to wait for various data … Continue reading

Posted in Brands, Brexit, Consumer Confidence, Consumers, Cost of Living, Costs, Economics Observatory, Inflation, Producers, Product Sizes, Retail brands, Retail Economy, Retailers, Shrinkflation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Grocery Market Shares in Great Britain (GB) 1997-2022

It’s July and that can only mean one thing – it is time to update the grocery market share data for Great Britain. Forget global warming and the heatwave and the cost-of-living crisis (not really for either), this is the … Continue reading

Posted in Asda, Brands, Consumers, Cooperative Group, Cost of Living, Covid19, Discounters, Food Retailing, Grocery, Inflation, Kantar, Lidl, Market Shares, Morrisons, Pandemic, Private brands, Private Label, Retail brands, Retail Change, Retailers, Sainsbury, Tesco | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

2020 – my year in articles

This blog contains my thoughts and views about retailing and retail change and is very much my own voice, providing some immediate commentary on current themes (mainly).  I do though have other outlets for my research and writing and whilst … Continue reading

Posted in Academics, Brands, Consumers, Convenience stores, Health, Healthcare Retail Standard, Hospital Shops, Institute for Retail Studies, Loyalty, NHS Health Scotland, Public Health, Retail Change, Retail Policy, Retailing, Town Centre Review, Uncategorized, University of Stirling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Clicks and Mortar by Amazon

Last Friday afternoon I attended a launch of the new Amazon inspired and supported Clicks and Mortar store in the Waverley Mall, Edinburgh.  This is the third such store and the first in Scotland; ten are planned in total over … Continue reading

Posted in Amazon, Amazon Clicks and Mortar, Brands, Edinburgh, Entrepreneurship, Independents, Internet shopping, Malls, Online Retailing, Pop Up Shops, Pop-Up Shops, Reinvention, Retail brands, Retail Change, Retailers, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Retailing, Shopping Centres, Small Shops, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Vacancies, Waverley Mall | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“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 , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Singapore’s Scary Monsters

Back in the warmth of Singapore for our graduation and alumni events and associated student and other meetings, and there seemed to be only one question people had for me; what could be done about Singapore’s ailing retail sector?  On … Continue reading

Posted in Adjacencies, Art, Brands, Corporate branding, Customer engagement, Design, Experiential, Flagship, Food and Beverage, Gentle Monster, Korea, Malls, Online Retailing, Retailers, Retailing, Shopping Centres, Singapore, Space, Vacancies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments