Category Archives: John Lewis Partnership

St James Quarter – curating and change

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Leigh Sparks

Last week saw the opening of parts of the St James Quarter in Edinburgh.  Conceived a long time ago, and without any conception of the possibilities and impact of a global pandemic, the centre is in some ways of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Aberdeen, BIDS, City Centres, Edinburgh, John Lewis Partnership, Pandemic, Retailers, Scotland, Scotland's Improvement Districts, Scottish Retailing, Shopping Centres, St James Quarter, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Aberdeen, No More?

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Leigh Sparks

The Covid pandemic has hit retailing hard. Government support (though important) has in no way matched the lost sales and business. Previous trends have been accelerated, most notably in terms of online sales. Retailers of all shapes and sizes have … Continue reading →

Posted in 1960s, Aberdeen, Architecture, Bids Scotland, Buildings, City Centres, Closure, Consumers, Cooperatives, Covid19, Department Stores, Internet shopping, John Lewis Partnership, Lockdown, Norco, Online Retailing, Pandemic, Rates, Regulation, Rents, Retail Change, Retail Sales, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Shopping, Social value, Tax, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Waitrose | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

HoF: House of Fools?

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

Thursday’s much trailed announcement that House of Fraser was aiming to close 31 of its 59 stores in the UK and was seeking large rent reductions on those that remain, all as part of a seemingly contested CVA, was the … Continue reading →

Posted in BHS, Buildings, Cardiff, Consumer Change, Costs, CVA, Department Stores, Edinburgh, High Streets, Historic Shops, Internet shopping, Jenners, John Lewis Partnership, Online Retailing, Oxford Street, Places, Retail Change, Retail Failure, Town & Country PLanning, Town Centres, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Black and Blue

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

Some further thoughts on Black Friday, as it has become a disruptive event: The spike in sales was unprecedented, as shown by John Lewis and the figure below (courtesy of @neilretail). This cascaded into problems with store service and then … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Friday, Christmas, Cyber Monday, Internet shopping, John Lewis Partnership, Logistics, Online Retailing, Returns, Sales, Supply Chains | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Plastic Bags, Referenda and Retail Prices

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

I’ve just come off the radio after doing a short piece on the John Beattie Radio Scotland show about the introduction of carrier bag charging in Scotland. Some three and a bit years after I wrote about this, the Scottish … Continue reading →

Posted in Campaigns, Government, John Lewis Partnership, London, Plastic Bags, Pricing, Retailers, Waitrose | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Retailer of the Year

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

I began reading Retail Week when it first started out and have kept up the practice. It has become a great source of current information and occasionally some jolting and thought-provoking commentary or feature. As is has developed its reputation, … Continue reading →

Posted in John Lewis Partnership, Market Shares, Pound Shops, Retail Economy, Retailers, Tesco | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

John Lewis: Stories of a Shopkeeper

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

Earlier this week I had a number of meetings in London and for the last of them I was looking for a central café. I am not sure that’s quite how John Lewis on Oxford Street really likes to think … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Click and Collect, Department Stores, Heritage, Historic Shops, John Lewis Partnership, London, Retail History, Sanders Bros, Waitrose | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment