Category Archives: Mary Portas

Trading Places: our Town and Country Planning Columns

Posted on August 8, 2018 by

In 2012 Anne Findlay and I attempted to take over from Professor Cliff Guy who had provided the Trading Places columns in Town and Country Planning for 12 years.  In the subsequent 6 years we have produced 23 columns, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Alcohol, BIDS, Bill Grimsey, Bookmakers, Consumer Change, Consumers, Farm Shops, Food Retailing, Government, High Streets, Internet shopping, Mary Portas, Places, Planning, Pop-Up Shops, Proactive Planning, Rates, Resilience, Retail Change, Retail Parks, Retail Planning, Retail Policy, Social Inequality, Town & Country PLanning, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Business Rates: an election issue (not)

Posted on May 22, 2017 by

This blog has covered the issue of rates on a number of occasions (e.g. rates relief, a levy, some rates and the Grimsey report, the poll tax and business rates) never fully satisfactory, and indeed, re-reading the pieces, with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Closure, Governance, Government, High Streets, Internet, Internet shopping, Large Store Levy, Mary Portas, Online Retailing, Places, Politicians, Public Health lev, Rates, Regulation, Retail Policy, Retailers, Store Closures, Tax, Town & Country PLanning, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Wrong Vocabulary?

Posted on March 3, 2015 by

One of the recurring themes within this blog, and some of the writings and papers it has reported on, is the inexactitude of many of the terms and concepts that we use in discussing retail change. Going beyond that, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Bill Grimsey, Community, ESRC, High Streets, Local Data Company, Mary Portas, PhD, Places, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Vacancies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Retailing, High Streets, Town Centres and Stirling

Posted on November 1, 2013 by

I don’t often get to watch much daytime TV, especially at work, but that’s another thing the internet is transforming. The ability to stream TV direct to my desktop has opened up new panoramas (and I don’t mean Jeremy Kyle, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bill Grimsey, Consumers, Government, High Streets, Internet, Mary Portas, Places, Stirling, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Levy, Some Rates and the Grimsey Report

Posted on September 16, 2013 by

I quite enjoy the flight to Singapore (which is where I was much of last week) as it gives me time to read and catch up on a few things; once I’ve landed things get more hectic with wall to … Continue reading →

Posted in Banks, Bill Grimsey, Government, High Streets, Mary Portas, Property, Rates, Tax, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Poll Tax and Business Rates

Posted on September 2, 2013 by

This week is the Mary and Bill show – fast turning in to the retail version of Punch and Judy – and no doubt we will return to the rival (?) visions of the high street after I’ve had chance … Continue reading →

Posted in Bill Grimsey, Government, High Streets, Mary Portas, Property, Rates, Tax, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

National Review of Town Centres

Posted on August 2, 2013 by

In addition to being on the Scottish Government’s Expert Advisory Group on the lessons from the horsemeat scandal I have also been a member of the External Advisory Group (EAG) on the Scottish Government’s National Review of Town Centres. Not … Continue reading →

Posted in BIDS, Government, High Streets, Mary Portas, Places, Planning, Rates, Retail Economy, Retailing, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, VAT | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment