Author: Leigh Sparks
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March 2021 – Personal Biography redesigned and updated
January 2021 – Updates of Media Commentary and Journal Articles page structures
October 2020 – Additions of recent articles in Social Science & Medicine and Marketing Theory to the Journal Article section
Top Posts & Pages
- Locavore's Bigger Plan
- Grocery Market Shares in the UK 2020
- Webinar: "A New Future for Scotland's Town Centres"
- Ten years on stirlingretail.com
- Aberdeen, No More?
- Media Commentary 2021
- Screen Time? Cinemas and Town Centres
- Co-operative Tokens, Sports Direct and The Bristol Pound
- Asa Briggs and Marks and Spencer
- UK Grocery Market Share 1997-2019
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Category Archives: Independents
Locavore’s Bigger Plan
I am not sure when I first became aware of Locavore. It certainly was before they launched their Big Plan in 2015. I had a watching interest in the development of social and more sustainable retail food stores and supermarkets, … Continue reading
Posted in Community, Community Interest Company, Consumer Lifestyle, Crowdfunding, Employment practices, Ethics, Food, Food Retailing, Glasgow, Independents, Local Retailers, Localisation, Locavore, Lockdown, organic, Pandemic, Producers, Retail innovation, Retail leadership, Retailing, Scotland, Scotland Food and Drink, Scotland Loves Local, Scottish Local Retailer, Scottish Retailing, Social Change, Stirling, Supermarket, Suppliers, Supply Chains, Sustainability, Sustainable Development, Uncategorized, Veg Boxes, Wages, Waste, Wholesaling
Tagged Carbon negative, Community Interest Company, Glasgow, Local, Local suppliers, Locavore, organic, Retail, Shops, Social impact, Social Supermarkets, Supply chains, Sustainability, Veg Boxes, Waste Reduction
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An (Un)Happy Anniversary
On the 16th March 2020 I started working from home. There had been an odd set of circumstances in the run-up to this date. We’d come back from South Africa in late January and I’d felt a little unwell; something … Continue reading
Posted in Amazon, Books, Cardiff, Christmas, Consumer Change, Consumer Lifestyle, Consumers, Covid19, Farmers Markets, Food, Food and Beverage, Food Retailing, Home Delivery, Independents, Internet shopping, Local Retailers, Localisation, Lockdown, Online Retailing, Pandemic, Producers, Products, Retail Change, Retailers, Retailing, Scotland Food and Drink, Scottish Retailing, Small Shops, Stirling, Uncategorized, Wholesaling
Tagged Amazon, Covid-19, Home Delivery, Indepedendents, internet retailing, Local Retailing, Lockdown, Pandemic, Retailing, Specialist retailers
1 Comment
A New Future for Scotland’s Towns – (3) Recommendations
This is the third of three linked posts on the Town Centre Action Plan Review Group Report (an introduction, summary of the review approach, recommendations). The full report and details of the Review Group, evidence submitted and heard and background … Continue reading
Posted in 20 Minute Neighbourhood, Citizens, Community, Community Assets, Community Development, Community Ownership, Creative Places, Development Trusts, Entrepreneurship, Governance, Government, High Streets, Housing, Independents, Internet, Leadership, Local Authorities, Local Retailers, Places, Proactive Planning, Rates, Regeneration, Retail Policy, Retailing, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Social Inequality, Social Justice, Tax, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Action Plan Review Group, town centre first, Town Centre Living, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Understanding Scottish Places
Tagged Active travel, Car Parking, Climate Emergency, Community, Digital, Entrepreneurship, High Streets, Local Government, Out of town impacts, Planning, Rates, Scotland, Social Inequality, Social Renewal, Tax, Town Centre Action Plan Review Group, Town Centre Review, Town Centrres, towns
6 Comments
Essential vs Non-Essential Retailing
At the start of lockdown in March, there was a division of retailing into essential and non-essential retailing, with a secondary division into physical and online channels. There was some grumbling from some retailers (Sports Direct, Waterstones) who felt they … Continue reading
Posted in Alcohol, Closure, Essential Retailing, Government, Independents, Lockdown, Non-Essential Retailing, Non-food retailing, Online Retailing, Regulation, Scottish Government, Uncategorized, Wales
Tagged Covid-19, Essential, Independent Retailing, Lockdown, Non-Essential Retailing, Regulation, Retail
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Convenience and Local Shop Retailing (and the new @Coopuk @StirUni)
On the 22nd October the Co-op opened its latest convenience store, at the heart of the University of Stirling. This was the first Co-op franchise in Scotland and is part of the growth of the Co-op and the convenience and … Continue reading
Posted in Association of Convenience Stores, ATMs, Community, Consumers, Convenience, Convenience stores, Cooperative Group, Cooperatives, Covid19, Entrepreneurship, Food Retailing, Independents, Local Retailers, Post Offices, Scotland, Scottish Grocers Federation, Scottish Local Retailer, Scottish Retailing, Self-checkout, Small Shops, Uncategorized, University of Stirling
Tagged Association of Convenience Stores, ATMs, Co-operative Group, Community, Consumers, Convenience stores, Covid19, Food retail, Home Delivery, Local Shop Report 2020, Post office, Scotland, Scottish Grocers Federation, Self-checkout, Store Openings, University of Stirling
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Grocery Market Shares in the UK 2020
In July of each year I have recorded the Grcery Market Share of leading retailers in Great Britain as shown by Kantar data. This has been going on since 1997 and I have mentioned this series in this blog before … Continue reading
Posted in Asda, Cooperative Group, Cooperatives, Covid19, Discounters, Food Retailing, Home Delivery, Independents, Internet shopping, Kantar, Lidl, Localisation, Lockdown, Market Shares, Ocado, Online Retailing, Retail Change, Retail Sales, Retailers, Retailing, Tesco, Uncategorized, Wal-Mart
Tagged Aldi, Asda, Co-operatives, Concentration Ratio, Covid-19, Food retailing, Home Delivery, independents, internet retailing, Kantar Worldpanel, Lidl, Lockdown, Market share, Ocado, Tesco, UK Grocery
1 Comment
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
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