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Author: Leigh Sparks
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January 2021 – Updates of Media Commentary and Journal Articles page structures
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Category Archives: Festivals
The Big Show (Y Sioe Fawr)
A few weeks ago I attended the Royal Welsh Show (Y Sioe Fawr) at Llanelwedd/Builth Wells. For a number of years I have been to the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston and have always thought it to be a large … Continue reading
Posted in Farmers Markets, Festivals, Food and Beverage, Food Quality, Food Retailing, Markets, Producers, Rates, Retail Economy, Retailers, Rural, Sustainability, Tax
Tagged Festivals, Food, Food Culture, Lampeter, Ludlow, Rates, Retail, Royal Welsh Show, Specialist retailers
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Gardens and Gin
I sometimes wonder what visitors make of Scotland. When I first moved up we did a lot of the tourist things, as people and family visited, but as life goes on it is all too easy to look to further … Continue reading
Posted in Alcohol, Architecture, Buildings, Community, Distillery, Edinburgh, Festivals, Gardens, Gin, Historic Shops, Royal Mile, Scotland Food and Drink, Spaces, Urban History
Tagged Distillery Tours, Edinburgh, Gardens, Gin, Pickerings, Royal Mile, Walking Tours
2 Comments
Market Time
I suspect that my interest in markets was sparked at a young age when my father would take me to the livestock market and my mother would take me to the open-air market (Cheapside) and to the covered food market, … Continue reading
Posted in Christmas, Experiential, Farmers Markets, Festivals, Food, Krakow, London, Markets, Places, Spaces, Streetscapes, Urban History
Tagged Christmas, Entrepreneurs, Food, Krakow, London, Markets
2 Comments
Lampeter Food Festival
As I noted in my last post, I was based down in Wales for personal reasons for much of July. It did however allow me to return to Lampeter, the small West Walian town where I spent almost four years … Continue reading
Posted in Festivals, Food, Food Retailing, High Streets, organic, Retail Economy, Rural, Town Centres
Tagged Festivals, Food, Food retailing, High Streets, Lampeter, Market Towns, Retail Change, Rural, Town Centres, Transition
1 Comment
The Conversation: Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Silver Linings
The University of Stirling is a supporter of The Conversation, and I recently had a commentary published there. I reblog it here. ’Tis the season to spend, spend, spend … or so retailers would have us think By Leigh Sparks, … Continue reading
Singapore Times
As regular readers of this blog already know, the Institute for Retail Studies at the University of Stirling has had programmes and partners in Singapore for a long time, targeted both at Singaporean students and retailers and those in the … Continue reading
Business Improvement Districts: Gatherings and Huddles
As I have written before, in reading this post you have to remember that I am a Board Member of BIDs (Business Improvement Districts) Scotland and thus believe they have a role to play in Scotland and in Scotland’s town … Continue reading
Posted in BIDS, Entrepreneurship, Festivals, Food Retailing, Food Tourism, Heritage, Innovation, Markets, Places, Scotland Food and Drink, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Town Centre Review, Town Centres
Tagged Archeology, BIDs, Food and Drink, Innovation, Scotland, Town Centre Action plan
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“Whose Town is it Anyway?” Reflections on Scotland’s Towns Conference
Take one minister (no, not of the Co-operative Methodist type), a couple of passionate key note presenters and well over 100 people mainly from across Scotland, wanting, willing and able to share their town stories and opportunities and you get … Continue reading
Shock and Awe
I am too young to be an ageing hippie – honest. And I certainly no longer have the hair for it. But a few nights ago we went to the Neil Young and Crazy Horse show in Glasgow. Growing up … Continue reading
Posted in Festivals, Merchandising, Music, Retailing, Sport, Tourism, USA
Tagged Events, Merchandising, Music, Retailing
3 Comments
A Market is for Life not just for Christmas
As has been noted in these pages, I am not a great fan of the Orange One. The idea that celebrity can save the high street is not one I ascribe to readily, and the Portas review for me missed … Continue reading
Posted in Farmers Markets, Festivals, Independents, Localisation, Markets, Mary Portas, Places, Town Centres
Tagged Events, Local, LYLM 2013, Markets, Quality, Town Centres
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