Category Archives: Innovation

Towns: Time for some good news

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

This blog has railed, far too often, at the dire coverage of high streets and towns.  Partial data, an agenda of failure, a lack of intelligence and thinking about what is being studied and a seemingly overwhelming desire to stigmatise … Continue reading →

Posted in "We" towns, Carnegie UK Trust, Community, Craft Town, Dumfries, Incredible Edible, Independents, Innovation, Local Retailers, Localisation, Places, Regeneration, Reinvention, Relationships, Totnes, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“The Preston Model”: Community Wealth Building

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Leigh Sparks

During the National Review of Town Centres, I was introduced to Neil McInroy and his work as the Chief Executive of CLES.  We subsequently begin to work together on the specific project of Understanding Scottish Places and he has been … Continue reading →

Posted in CLES, Community, Governance, Innovation, Local Authorities, Local Multiplier, Localisation, Networks, Places, Reinvention, Relationships, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Supply Chains, Sustainability, Town Centre Review, Towns, Uncategorized, Understanding Scottish Places | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Albert Gubay 1928-2016

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Leigh Sparks

Early in January, Albert Gubay died, aged 87. His is not a name that will necessarily be familiar to many people, but he was a true original in the field of retailing and more generally. Not many people amass a … Continue reading →

Posted in Albert Gubay, Discounters, Food Retailing, Historic Shops, History, Innovation, International Retailing, Kwik Save, Pricing, Retail History, Shoprite, Tesco, Three Guys, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scotland’s Towns Week

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

Will you be using your local town centre next week? A Scotland’s Towns Partnership-led campaign, Scotland’s Towns Week aims to raise the profile of Scotland’s towns; uniting, inspiring and supporting towns across Scotland, to run or launch activities during Scotland’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Government, High Streets, Innovation, Localisation, Public Realm, Regeneration, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Secondary Locations, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your Town Centre: An Innovation Challenge

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

“See the world as you want it to be, not the way it is” There’s been much discussion over the last few years about the need for a new narrative or story for Scotland’s Town Centres, not least in the … Continue reading →

Posted in BIDS, Community Development, Development Trusts, Entrepreneurship, Government, Innovation, Regeneration, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Town Centre Review, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Business Improvement Districts: Gatherings and Huddles

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

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 , , , , , | Leave a comment