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
- Public Health, Taxation and Food Retailing
- Transformative Food Retailing, Data and Consumers
- The Buttercup Dairy Company
- London's Welsh Dairies: The Welsh Milk Trade
- Food, health and data: developing transformative food retailing
- Twenty One Years of UK Grocery Market Share
- Internet sales as a percentage of retail sales in the UK
- UK Grocery Market Share 1997-2019
- Turmoil at Tesco
- Grocery Market Shares in the UK 2020
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Category Archives: Food Retailing
Public Health, Taxation and Food Retailing
Following hard on the heels of our recent publication on transformative food retailing, my commentary on a recent paper on the taxation of soft drinks has just been published. This was an invited commentary, though peer reviewed, and is published … Continue reading
Transformative Food Retailing, Data and Consumers
The knowledge that retailers and especially food retailers have around their customers and their behaviours has been a topic of interest and concern for decades. The small independent corner shop of old and the localism of buying are historical illustrations … Continue reading
Posted in Behavioural Economics, Consumer Change, Consumers, Customisation, Data, Food Retailing, Health, Loyalty Schemes, Personal, Personalisation, Public Health, Public Policy, Sustainability, Transformative Food Retailing
Tagged Consumer Behaviour, Consumers, Data, Food retailing, Government, Health, Retailers, Sustainability, Transformative
1 Comment
Let them eat Turnips
Therese Coffey’s comments were crass, ill-informed, tin-eared and risible in many regards but did at least shine a light on aspects of our food supply chains. And in one small sense she has an unpalatable point; we’ve got used to … Continue reading
Posted in Agflation, Brexit, Consumers, distribution, European Retailers, European Union, Food, Food Quality, Food Retailing, Greenhouse, Pricing, Rationing, Retailers, Seasonality, Sustainability, Sustainable Development, Vegatables
Tagged Brexit, Cheap Food, Cost of Living, Energy prices, European Single market, Food Chains, Media, Quality Food, Rationing, Retailing, Shortages, Tomatoes, Turnips, Weather
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2022: the stirlingretail.com year in retrospect
This time of the year I normally produce my last post and look back at the activity on the blog during the calendar year. My reviews for 2020 and 2021 covered the two years with the most visitors the site … Continue reading
Posted in 1977, Bristol Pound, Cooperative Tokens, Department Stores, Food Retailing, Grocery, Local Authorities, Market Shares, MIlk, New Future for Scotland's Towns, NPF4, Places, Planning, Retail Change, Retail History, Retail Strategy, Scottish Government, Scottish Retailing, Stirling, Stirling Council, Tesco, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Review, Urban History, Who Owns Scotland?
Tagged A New Future for Scotland's Towns, Department Stores, Grocery Market Shares, NPF4, Places, Planning, Retail Change, Retail History, Retail Strategy, Retailing, Scotland, Scottish Government, Stirling, Tesco, Town Centres, Welsh Dairies
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“Christmas and the Cost-of-Living Crisis: How will retailers cope?”
The past two year’s holiday seasons were tough for the UK’s retail sector, with lockdowns and resulting changes in consumer behaviour. I covered the previous Christmas periods in two pieces for the Economics Observatory (2020 and 2021) and followed this … Continue reading
Posted in Aldi, Brexit, Christmas, Consumers, Cost of Living, Costs, Discounters, Economics Observatory, Energy Costs, ESRC, Food, Food Retailing, Inflation, Lidl, Market Shares, Places, Retailers, Retailing, Shopping, Towns
Tagged Brexit, Christmas, Consumers, Cost of Living, Discounters, Economics Observatory, Energy Costs, Food, Inflation, interest rates, Market Shares, Retailers, Retailing
1 Comment
Out-of-Town Retailing: National Planning Framework (NPF) 4 and Stirling (again)
The 8th November saw the publication of the revised National Planning Framework 4 – the national spatial and planning strategy for Scotland. It will now be the subject of further parliamentary discussion before hopefully being approved. This revision is the … Continue reading
Posted in 20 Minute Neighbourhood, Asda, City Centres, Climate Emergency, Food Retailing, Land Use Planning, Local Authorities, New Future for Scotland's Towns, NPF4, Out of Town, Place Principle, Retail Impact Assessments, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scottish Government, Sequential Approach, Spatial Planning, Stirling, Stirling Council, Town Centre Action Plan, town centre first, Town Centres
Tagged 20 Minute Neighbourhoods, Call-In, Climate Emergency, Drive Thru's, Local Development Plans, NPF4, Out of town retailing, Place Principle, Planning, Planning policy, Retail Impact Assessments, Retail Policy, Scottish Government, Sequential Approach, Stirling, Stirling Council, town centre first, Town Centres
7 Comments
Scottish Grocers Federation Conference: Issues and Opportunities
Just over a year ago, I did my first F2F presentation in a long time, when I presented at the Scottish Grocers Federation annual conference in Glasgow. This was apparently one of the very first such events held in Glasgow … Continue reading
Posted in Community, Consumers, Convenience, Convenience stores, Cost of Living, Costs, Crime, Deposit Return Scheme, Energy Costs, Food Retailing, Go Local, Local Retailers, Producers, Retail Strategy, Retailers, Retailing, Reverse Vending, Scotland Food and Drink, Scotland Loves Local, Scottish Government, Scottish Grocers Federation
Tagged Convenience Retailing, Convenience stores, Crime, Deposit Return Scheme, Energy Costs, Go Local, local shops, Retail Strat, Retailing, Scotland, Scottish Government, SGF
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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 Aldi, Asda, CMA, Cost of Living, Discounters, Just Essentials, Kantar, Lidl, Market Shares, Morrisons, Retail, Sainsbury, Tesco, UK Grocery market
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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 Aldi, Asda, Brands, Co-op, Concentration Ratio, Cost of Living, Discounters, Food retailing, Great Britain, Grocery, Inflation, Kantar, Lidl, manufacturers, Market Shares, Morrisons, Own Brands, Pandemic, Retailer Brands, Sainsbury, Tesco, UK, Waitrose
3 Comments
Shopping: the cost of living crisis – Q&A with The Conversation
In between graduation ceremonies last Friday (as we caught up with the pandemic impacted ceremonies of 2020 and 2021), I was interviewed by Steven Vass of The Conversation about the cost of living crisis and Shopping. The result is a … Continue reading
Posted in Consumer Confidence, Consumers, Cost of Living, Discounters, Food, Food Banks, Food Retailing, Inflation, Local Retailers, Office for National Statistics, Pricing, Retail Sales, Retailers, Shopping, The Conversation
Tagged Budgets, Consumer Confidence, Consumers, Cost of Living, Food, Inflation, Retail Sales, Retailing, The Conversation
5 Comments