Author: Leigh Sparks
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May 2021 – Journal Articles page updated with two new academic papers in Planning, Theory and Practice, and Sustainability, joining our Ageing & Society paper
March 2021 – Personal Biography redesigned and updated
January 2021 – Updates of Media Commentary and Journal Articles page structures
Top Posts & Pages
- Changing Scotland's Towns
- Grocery Market Shares in the UK 2020
- Town Centres in Wales: Bounded Muscularity?
- Brexit isn't Delivering
- Grocery Market Shares in Great Britain 1997-2021
- A Lidl Surprise?
- Retail Disruptors - the spectacular rise and impact of the hard discounters
- London's Welsh Dairies: The Welsh Milk Trade
- Scottish and Online Retail Sales in Lockdown
- Webinar: "A New Future for Scotland's Town Centres"
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Category Archives: Markets
La Dolce Vita – or perhaps not
I am on annual leave today and tomorrow. These dates have been in the diary for some time; over a year to be precise. Whilst being on leave will be a relief (for me and no doubt some colleagues) it … Continue reading
Posted in Consumers, Covid19, Food and Beverage, Italy, Markets, Pandemic, Retail Economy, Retailers, Rugby Union, Social Renewal, Sport, Uncategorized, Wales
Tagged Consumer Spending, Eataly, Events, Food and Drink, Italy, Local Business, Markets, Rome, Rugby, Six Nations, Sport, Wales
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‘Writing the Rules of the Game’: Non-market Strategy, commercial interests and health policy
The UK Government has recently published a set of proposals and statements about restricting commercial activity as part of an approach to tackle obesity. We have also seen the first stage of a ‘National’ Food Strategy be published. In Scotland … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Alcohol, Consumers, Diet and Health, Food Retailing, Food Standards Scotland, Health, Healthcare Retail Standard, Hospital Shops, Large Store Levy, Markets, Non-market Strategy, Politicians, Profits, Promotion, Public Health, Public Health lev, Public Policy, Regulation, Retail Levy, Scottish Government, Sugar Tax, Uncategorized
Tagged Alcohol, Diet and Health, Food Standards Scotland, Non-market Strategy, Public Health, Regulation, Retailing, Sugar Tax, Tobacco
1 Comment
Halifax – with Elephants
When I was 10 months old my father ‘forsake the amateur code’ (copyright Welsh Rugby Union) and ‘went north’, joining the Halifax professional rugby league team. This was a life changing decision in many ways for his family; not least … Continue reading
Posted in Buildings, Burtons, Corporate History, Design, Ghost Signs, Halifax, Heritage, Historic Shops, Markets, Places, Public Realm, Regeneration, Retail History, Rugby League, Streetscapes, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Urban History
Tagged Buildings, Burtons, Culture, Elephants, Halifax, Heritage, Markets, Piece Hall, Rugby League, Town Centres, Woolworths
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Food and Retailing Cultures: Zaragoza
On a few occasions before, I have come back from somewhere and commented on the quality of food and/or retail culture that I have observed. I have then contrasted it with our own paucity of offer. I know this can … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Consumer Lifestyle, Food, Food Retailing, Heritage, Lisbon, Local Retailers, Markets, Places, Retail History, Retail Planning, Shopfronts, Signage, Spaces, Streetscapes, Town Centres, Uncategorized, Urban History
Tagged Food, Food Culture, Heritage, Historical shops, Markets, Place, Retail History, Signs, Zaragoza
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Twin Towns
To anyone with a Welsh background and an interest in films, Twin Town conjures up a film of 20+ years ago which was described as a Welsh Trainspotting, though less successful. Lock up your sheep and pretty much anything else, … Continue reading
Posted in Carnegie UK Trust, Collaboration, Community, Heritage, High Streets, History, Markets, Places, Regeneration, Small Towns, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized
Tagged Carnegie UK Trust, Collaboration, Community, Development, Digital, Heritage, High Streets, Identity, Markets, Places, Small Towns, towns, Twin Towns, Twinning
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Tiles and Sardines
For those who catch up with me on Twitter, a few weeks ago we had a long weekend in Lisbon – no, not for Eurovision – and I said I would do a post on retail things of interest we … Continue reading
Posted in 3D Printing, Architecture, Azulejo, Cooperatives, Fish, Food Retailing, Historic Shops, History, Lisbon, Markets, Producers, Retail History, Sardines, Shopfronts, Streetscapes, Urban History
Tagged Azulejo, Design, Escher, IKEA, Lisbon, Markets, Producers Associations, Restaurants, Retail History, Sardines, Shops, Tiles
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Do Times Change? Cardiff Market
My fascination with markets is pretty well known and has been rolled out in posts in this blog on a regular basis. One of the markets that has featured has been Cardiff Market; somewhere I have been visiting for over … Continue reading
Posted in Cardiff, Consumers, Corporate History, Costs, Fish, Food, Food Retailing, Historic Shops, History, Local Retailers, Markets, Rates, Regulation, Rents, Retail Change, Retail History, Urban History, Wales
Tagged Ashton's, Cardiff, Cardiff Market, Costs, Fishmongers, food quality, History, Local, Markets, Recession, Retail Change, Small Businesses
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Time Out in Lisbon: Part One
It has been some time since I was in Lisbon and thus it was a pleasure to receive an invite to present a keynote to a conference on retail, consumption and urban governance, especially in early autumn, which is slightly … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Architecture, Brands, Eataly, Emporium Shokuhin, Food and Beverage, Food Court, Food Tourism, Gastronomy, Historic Shops, History, Lisbon, Markets, Places, Regeneration, Retailers, Scotland Food and Drink, Singapore, Time Out, Tourism
Tagged Brands, Eataly, Food Culture, Food Tourism, Lisbon, Markets, Mercado da Ribeira, Regeneration, Scotland's Food and Drink, Singapore, Time Out, Tourism
3 Comments
The Big Show (Y Sioe Fawr)
A few weeks ago I attended the Royal Welsh Show (Y Sioe Fawr) at Llanelwedd/Builth Wells. For a number of years I have been to the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston and have always thought it to be a large … Continue reading
Posted in Farmers Markets, Festivals, Food and Beverage, Food Quality, Food Retailing, Markets, Producers, Rates, Retail Economy, Retailers, Rural, Sustainability, Tax
Tagged Festivals, Food, Food Culture, Lampeter, Ludlow, Rates, Retail, Royal Welsh Show, Specialist retailers
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Embracing Failure in the Shadow of Success
This post’s title is the sub-title from a book I recently read. It concerns Mick Channon Jnr and his relationship with his father, who he describes as “an arthritic workaholic grumpy old bastard” and only grudgingly as an ex England … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Bookmakers, Charity Shops, Closure, Consumer Lifestyle, Discounters, Heritage, High Streets, Local Retailers, Markets, Places, Planning, Pound Shops, Property, Regeneration, Retail Economy, Shopfronts, Social Inequality, Social Justice, Store Closures, Town Centres, Towns
Tagged Bookmakers, Books, Class, Community, Discounters, failure, Football, Gentrification, High Street, Horses, Pound shops, Retail, Retail Change, Success
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