Category Archives: Government

Business Rates: an election issue (not)

Posted on May 22, 2017 by

This blog has covered the issue of rates on a number of occasions (e.g. rates relief, a levy, some rates and the Grimsey report, the poll tax and business rates) never fully satisfactory, and indeed, re-reading the pieces, with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Closure, Governance, Government, High Streets, Internet, Internet shopping, Large Store Levy, Mary Portas, Online Retailing, Places, Politicians, Public Health lev, Rates, Regulation, Retail Policy, Retailers, Store Closures, Tax, Town & Country PLanning, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tesco, Booker and Poundland

Posted on April 12, 2017 by

In a recent Retail Week opinion piece the columnist John Richards mused about the cost of all the adventures Sainsbury have had over the years and whether the cost outweighed the benefits and whether the management time and effort could … Continue reading →

Posted in Accounting, administration, Booker, Consumer Change, Food Retailing, Government, Mergers, Netto, Poundland, Regulation, Retail Change, Sainsbury, Shareholders, Store Closures, Tesco | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fight Time? The Boxing Day Petition

Posted on December 5, 2016 by

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 , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Unlocking the Potential of Scotland’s Towns

Posted on November 15, 2016 by

For most in Scotland, November 9th will probably be recalled as the day President Trump became a reality.  The irony that that day was the 27th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall will not be lost on some … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Creative Places, Digital, Fife, Government, High Streets, Places, Planning, Proactive Planning, Regeneration, Retail Change, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Small Towns, Town Centre Action Plan, town centre first, Town Centre Living, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, WTLS16 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Aberfan

Posted on October 6, 2016 by

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 , , , , , | 3 Comments

From the Scottish Government’s National Review of Town Centres to the World Towns Summit

Posted on August 16, 2016 by

Downloadable versions of this post are available here (word) and here (pdf). The attraction of many international delegates to the inaugural World Towns Summit in Edinburgh in June 2016 was eloquent testimony to the perception that Scotland has led the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bids Scotland, Charrettes, Community, Cross Party Group, Development Trusts, Government, High Streets, Place Standard, Places, Planning, Policy, Proactive Planning, Regeneration, Retail Change, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Town Centre Action Plan, town centre first, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Understanding Scottish Places, USP, World Towns Framework, WTLS16 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Uncertainty: Brexit and Retailing

Posted on June 28, 2016 by

This is quite a long post, so apologies. About 10 days before the EU Referendum I wrote an invited article for the Scotsman on the issues for retailing. It was intended as one of a series on different sectors. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Brexit, Buying, Consumers, Costs, European Union, Government, International Retailing, Internet, Online Retailing, Referendum, Regulation, Retailers, Supply Chains | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment