Category Archives: Loyalty

2020 – my year in articles

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Leigh Sparks

This blog contains my thoughts and views about retailing and retail change and is very much my own voice, providing some immediate commentary on current themes (mainly).  I do though have other outlets for my research and writing and whilst … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Brands, Consumers, Convenience stores, Health, Healthcare Retail Standard, Hospital Shops, Institute for Retail Studies, Loyalty, NHS Health Scotland, Public Health, Retail Change, Retail Policy, Retailing, Town Centre Review, Uncategorized, University of Stirling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Food, health and data: developing transformative food retailing

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Leigh Sparks

In early November 2018, a book on Case Studies in Food Retailing and Distribution was published, edited by John Byrom and Dominic Medway.  Amongst the very wide ranging and interesting chapters, was an effort by myself and two colleagues from … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Behavioural Economics, Books, Data, Diet and Health, Digital, Ethics, Food, Food Retailing, Health, Loyalty, Loyalty Schemes, Retailers, Social Change, Uncategorized, Well being | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Try Before You Buy: A ‘Returns Tsunami’?

Posted on April 20, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

The rise of the internet as a channel of purchase and distribution has been a major transformation for consumers and also for many retailers.  Whilst distance selling including mail order had been present for centuries, the internet offers a radically … Continue reading →

Posted in Asos, Availability, Catalogues, Consumer Choice, Internet shopping, Loyalty, Membership, Returns, Supply Chains, Sustainable Development, Try before you buy | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Retail Branding: it’s not (just) private label

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Leigh Sparks

Over a long period, retail branding research, led by Steve Burt, has been one of the main areas of research for my colleagues and myself at the University of Stirling.  I have written a couple of things on branding in … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Brand Extension, Brands, Consumer Change, Corporate branding, Labelling, Loyalty, Private brands, Private Label, Retail brands, Retail Change, Retailer Branding, Retailers, Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Marks and Sparks

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

In the dim and distant past, when I first arrived at the University of Stirling, I was one of number of research follows and assistants involved in establishing the Institute for Retail Studies under the leadership of John Dawson. One … Continue reading →

Posted in Experiential, Loyalty, Loyalty Schemes, Marks and Spencer, Membership, Relationships, Sparks, University of Stirling | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Lidl Surprise?

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

August is traditionally the silly season in the media, as journalists and readers/viewers take advantage of the summer weather and holidays (well that’s the theory) and disappear, leaving space for all sorts of outlandish reporting attempting to fill column inches, … Continue reading →

Posted in Discounters, Food Retailing, Lidl, Loyalty, Loyalty Schemes, Market Shares, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Re-imagining the High Street with Technology

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

The Grimsey Review of 2013 very strongly made the case that the high street of the future (or indeed of the present) has to embrace the digital world into which many of us have increasingly moved. As technology and consumers … Continue reading →

Posted in Bill Grimsey, Car Parking, High Streets, Independents, Loyalty, Multichannel, Online Retailing, Regeneration, Technology, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment