Author: Leigh Sparks
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May 2023 – Two new articles and a book chapter noted on the Journal Articles page
February 2023 – New piece for The Conversation on online retailing (see commentaries tab)
January 2023 – Roll over of some areas for new year, plus The Conversation piece on Christmas trading updates published (see commentaries tab) and main posts
December 2022 – End of year tidying up and re-arrangement, including link to EDAS podcast on places and towns (see presentations tab)
Top Posts & Pages
- Transformative Food Retailing, Data and Consumers
- Twenty One Years of UK Grocery Market Share
- The architectural heritage of Montague Burton’s Art Deco shops
- Internet sales as a percentage of retail sales in the UK
- UK Grocery Market Share 1997-2019
- Retail Branding: it's not (just) private label
- Co-operative Tokens, Sports Direct and The Bristol Pound
- Are Retailers Social Engineers?
- Food, health and data: developing transformative food retailing
- Strange Things in Self-Service
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Category Archives: Campaigns
Towns and Resilience: A Totally Locally Follow-Up
On the 20th April I presented at the Institute of Place Management Annual Conference in Manchester. It was an interesting and enjoyable event; details of what I said can be found in an earlier post on this blog. There was … Continue reading
Posted in "We" towns, Campaigns, Community, Consumers, High Streets, Incredible Edible, Independents, Local Multiplier, Local Retailers, Places, Retailing, Rugby League, Small Towns, Totally Locally, Towns
Tagged Fiverfest, Independent Retailing, Institute of Place Management, Local, Local Businesses, Places, Small Towns, Totally Locally
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Oxford Street, Hull and Beyond
I have never really understood the fascination with Oxford Street as the retail heart of the UK. I get that there are some great buildings, but as a shopping street, though not a great streetscape, it has never worked for … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Campaigns, Cooperative Group, Cooperatives, Department Stores, Historic Shops, History, Hull, Marks and Spencer, Oxford Street, Places, Regeneration, Retail History, Streetscapes, Town Centres, Towns, Urban History
Tagged Alan Boyson, Architecture, Buildings, Cooperative Group, Department Stores, Heritage, History, Marks and Spencer, Modernism, Murals, Oxford Street, Retail, Ships in the Sky, Streetscapes, Town Centres
2 Comments
Scotland Loves Local
People across the country are being urged to think local first and help fuel the nation’s financial fightback from coronavirus by supporting local businesses whilst still being aware of the public health guidelines. On the 20th July Scotland’s Towns Partnership … Continue reading
Posted in Bids Scotland, Campaigns, Community, Consumer Choice, Consumers, Covid19, Government, Independents, Internet shopping, Local Authorities, Local Multiplier, Local Retailers, Localisation, Places, Retailers, Retailing, Scotland's Improvement Districts, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Scottish Grocers Federation, Scottish Retailing, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized
Tagged Consumers, Covid-19, Indpendents, Local, Local Authorities, Localisation, Retailing, Scotland, Scotland's High Streets, Scotland's Improvement Districts, Scotland's Towns, Scotland's Towns and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Scottish Grocers Federation, Small shops, Sustainability, Town Centres
1 Comment
Tartan Cents: Linking the Scottish Global Diaspora
The Scottish Diaspora is extensive and has an active engagement with Scotland. Having lived in the US and seen Highland Games and other Scottish links, this lineage and linkage is obviously tangible. It is also this weekend the 20th Anniversary … Continue reading
Posted in Buildings, Campaigns, Collaboration, Heritage, Places, Public Realm, Scotland, Scottish Diaspora Tapestry, Tartan Cents, Towns
Tagged Adam Smith, Carnegie, Crowd Funding, Diaspora, Dunfermline, Girvan, Heritage, Kirkcaldy, Patronicity, Pittencrieff, Places, Scotland, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Spirit of scotland, Tartan Cents, towns, USA
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Fight Time? The Boxing Day Petition
The issue of opening hours for shops is something that has been an ever-present during my time as an academic. The product-based absurdities of the late 1970s and early 1980s were eventually swept away as opening hours were modernised and … Continue reading
Posted in Alcohol, Black Friday, Boxing Day, Campaigns, Christmas, Consumer Lifestyle, Cyber Monday, Employees, Employment, Employment practices, Government, Internet shopping, Legislation, Online Retailing, Opening Hours, Petitions, Regulation, Small Shops, Supermarket
Tagged Alcohol, Boxing Day, Christmas, Delivery, Employees, Legislation, Online retailing, Opening Hours, Petitions, Supermarkets
6 Comments
Aberfan
At a period when there seems to be an anniversary at every turn, on the 21st October there will be the 50th remembrance of a truly shocking event – Aberfan. Seared in the memories of individuals and communities, especially across … Continue reading
Posted in Campaigns, Community, Disasters, Governance, Government, History, Personal, Places, Regeneration, Regulation, Social Justice, Wales
Tagged Aberfan, Book, Community, Cover-up, Disaster, South Wales
3 Comments
Plastic Bags, Referenda and Retail Prices
I’ve just come off the radio after doing a short piece on the John Beattie Radio Scotland show about the introduction of carrier bag charging in Scotland. Some three and a bit years after I wrote about this, the Scottish … Continue reading
Posted in Campaigns, Government, John Lewis Partnership, London, Plastic Bags, Pricing, Retailers, Waitrose
Tagged Independance, Plastic bags, Prices, Retail, Retailers, Scotland
2 Comments
Todmorden, Bruntsfield, Little Salkeld …. Local in Action
Many will know of the Incredible Edible Todmorden story – I mentioned Pam Warhurst’s presentation at Scotland’s Towns Conference a few posts ago – and some may have got involved in the Kickstarter crowdfunding of a book about their experiences, … Continue reading
Plastic Fantastic?
It is the supposedly quiet time of summer, so what better time for politicians to make announcements about possible policies and actions – or in this case consultation. The Scottish government announced this week that it was going to consult … Continue reading
Posted in Campaigns, Consumer Change, Government, Plastic Bags, Regulation, Retailers, Tax, Waste
Tagged Government, Plastic bags, Retailers, Scotland, Tax, Waste
1 Comment
National Independents Day
So how was it for you? Did you notice? Did you boycott the corporates and the co-operatives? Shop only in your local independent store(s) – if you have any? And now it is over? Back to the old routine, I … Continue reading
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