Category Archives: International Retailing

Axe Stores (this is a description not an instruction)

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Leigh Sparks

At the end of July I received an email from a freelance journalist, Steve Cain, seeking any information on Food Giant and Axe Stores. In normal times I know I had material somewhere in my office on Food Giant.  But … Continue reading →

Posted in Aldi, Axe Stores, Closure, Corporate History, Discounters, Food Retailing, Hintons, Historic Shops, International Retailing, Kwik Save, Laws Stores, Lidl, PAM Group, Retail Failure, Retail History, Retailers, Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Talking Tesco (Again)

Posted on November 17, 2017 by Leigh Sparks

It has been quite a few weeks for Tesco, currently ending in the positive column.  The recent interim results showed quite a lot of commercial progress and the intended restoration of the dividend cheered the City considerably.  The trials of … Continue reading →

Posted in Accounting, Booker, CMA, Competition, Competition and Markets Authority, Convenience stores, Finest, Food Retailing, International Retailing, Local Retailers, Market Shares, NTUC FairPrice, Profits, Retail Change, Retailers, Singapore, Suppliers, Tesco, Wholesaling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Taxing Times: Tesco and Poland

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Leigh Sparks

The financial results for Tesco last week brought forward a lot of comment and some interesting thoughts, not least the looming pension deficit and the exceptional items booked into the accounts.  Oh, and the underlying performance, which was quite good. … Continue reading →

Posted in European Union, International Retailing, Large Store Levy, Poland, Profits, Public Health lev, Regulation, Retail Levy, Retail Policy, Tax, Tesco | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“The Ridiculous is no longer Unimaginable”

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Leigh Sparks

The other day I received an email saying that the 2016-2017 Annual Review of the Retail Think Tank was available.  It can be accessed and downloaded from here. The Retail Think Tank is just over 10 years old, being conceived … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Friday, Brands, Competition, Consumer Change, European Union, International Retailing, Retail Change, Retail Health Index, Retail leadership, Retail Think Tank, Retailers, Store Closures | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Navigating The New Retail Landscape

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Leigh Sparks

Readers of this blog will be aware of the occasional use of guest bloggers and of book reviews.  A couple of weeks ago my colleague Steve Burt showed me a new retail book he had bought, authored by two contemporaries … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Books, Consumer Change, Consumers, Customer engagement, International Retailing, Internet, Multichannel, Retail Change, Retail leadership, Retailers, Strategy, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Uncertainty: Brexit and Retailing

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Leigh Sparks

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 , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

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

If I had a hammer …

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

I am useless at DIY as anyone who knows me can testify. I can wield a hammer but other tools are beyond me, and whilst in my long ago youth I spent a golden summer as a brickie’s labourer, no … Continue reading →

Posted in B&Q, Catalogues, Closure, DIY, International Retailing, Internet shopping, Online Retailing, Screwfix, Space | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Singapore Times

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

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 →

Posted in Alumni, Courts Asia, Festivals, Government, International Retailing, Markets, Qualifications, Retail Degrees, Shopping Centres, University of Stirling | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Summer Retail Reading with an Asian flavour?

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

It’s not that I have more time in the summer, but rather I try to clean up my office (and it really does need it, as colleagues will attest). The problem is that I end up discovering things I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Books, Convenience stores, International Retailing, Marketing, Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment