Category Archives: Design

“Argos catalogues – a fascinating historical archive”

Posted on February 2, 2018 by

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 , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Singapore’s Scary Monsters

Posted on October 13, 2017 by

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

Pontypool vs Penarth: Rugby and The High Street and Town of 1951

Posted on September 30, 2016 by

This post has been ready for some time, but I thought I would publish it today, as it is National Sporting Heritage Day. If you are reading this on the 30th in Stirling then the University is hosting a pop-up … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Community, Cooperatives, Design, High Streets, Independents, Local Retailers, Places, Retail History, Rugby Union, Small Shops, Towns, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

And now for some good news: Dixons Carphone and Dyson Openings

Posted on July 15, 2016 by

As promised, after my rather pessimistic review of some recent retail stories in the last blog, I want to turn to something a little more positive.  The stories below that caught my attention are in one way the other side … Continue reading →

Posted in BrickMeetsClick, Consumer Lifestyle, Design, Dixons Carphone, Dyson, Electronics, Engineering, Experiential, Flagship, London, Multichannel, Oxford Street, Pop-Up Shops, Space, Tesco | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Sense of Place

Posted on April 21, 2015 by

A few months ago I was approached to write a short piece for “Context – the magazine of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation” as part of a collected set of items on The Changing Face of Retail. A couple … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, High Streets, Historic Shops, History, Places, Signage, Spaces, Streetscapes, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Small Business Saturday and Craft Town Scotland

Posted on December 9, 2014 by

I am not wholly convinced about Small Business Saturday, which took place on the 6th December. Another US import, it is now in its second year in this country. It has had an impact and a lot of publicity and … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Community Development, Craft Town, Crafts, Design, High Streets, Independents, Local Retailers, Places, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Small Business Saturday, Tourism | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sting in the Tale of Internet Shopping

Posted on August 21, 2014 by

The week before last, STV news featured a (very brief) clip of me discussing the rise of internet shopping. This had been prompted by the news that it was 20 years since the first commercial internet shopping purchase. I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Click and Collect, Consumer Change, Design, Internet, Internet shopping, Multichannel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment