Category Archives: Resilience

Openings and Closures in 2020 – but of what?

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

The retail news cycle last Sunday was dominated by the Local Data Company/PwC report on openings and closures in the first half (well, to August) of this year. The headlines were positively apocalyptic, led by the BBC with its unambiguous … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Churn, Closure, Consumer Change, Consumers, Data, High Streets, Local Data Company, Media, Ordnance Survey, Resilience, Retail Diversity, Retail Economy, Retailers, Small Towns, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Vacancies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Scottish Retail Sales: seeing the impact of Lockdown

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

Earlier today (22nd April) the March figures from the Scottish Retail Sales Monitor (managed by the British Retail Consortium and KPMG) were published. They were as bad as everyone expected, and the commentary in the media showed due concern (for … Continue reading →

Posted in Availability, BRC, Closure, Community, Consumer Change, Consumers, Convenience stores, Covid19, Food, Food Retailing, Grocery, High Streets, Independents, Internet shopping, Lockdown, Market Shares, Non-food retailing, Panic buying, Places, Rents, Resilience, Retail Change, Retail Economy, Retail Sales, Retailers, Retailing, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scottish Retail Consortium, Scottish Retail Sales, Scottish Retailing, Shopping, Social Inequality, Supply Chains, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Changing Priorities? The End of the (Retail) World as We Knew It

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

In the last three posts I have looked at the food vs non-food dichotomy in retailing as COVID19 sweeps through the country.  The figures and situation are astonishing and something no-one predicted a few weeks/months ago. How do we make … Continue reading →

Posted in Availability, Community, Consumer Change, Consumer Choice, Consumers, Contactless, Convenience stores, Covid19, Food Retailing, Grocery, Independents, Internet shopping, Local Retailers, Localisation, Non-food retailing, Online Retailing, Panic buying, Producers, Resilience, Retail Change, Retail Sales, Retailers, Small Shops, Supermarket, Suppliers, Supply Chains, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Christmas may be Cancelled

Posted on July 15, 2019 by Leigh Sparks

If there is no upside to Brexit then a No Deal Brexit plumbs the depth of stupidity. And yet, two men who claim to be intelligent are currently racing to utter the most damaging nonsense and not bothering to hide … Continue reading →

Posted in Brexit, Christmas, Disasters, distribution, European Union, Finance, Frictionless, Government, Logistics, Politicians, Producers, Resilience, Stock, Suppliers, Supply Chains, Uncategorized, Warehouses | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Brexit and the ‘F**K Business’ Approach

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Leigh Sparks

Boris Johnson’s view of the importance of business to the economy and to the care and concern he gave the business view on Brexit was well covered at the time.  Dominic Raab’s more recent revelation that Dover was actually quite … Continue reading →

Posted in Brexit, Consumers, Disasters, distribution, European Union, Frictionless, Just in Time, Logistics, Politicians, Resilience, Retailers, Supply Chains, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Trading Places: our Town and Country Planning Columns

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

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

Time Out in Lisbon: Part Two

Posted on October 3, 2017 by Leigh Sparks

Following on from my personal wander around Lisbon and the Mercado da Ribeira (Part One), and on the day after my keynote presentation on retail, consumption and urban governance (the overheads are here), the conference had its own ambulation around … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Architecture, Brands, Buildings, Consumer Lifestyle, High Streets, Historic Shops, History, Lisbon, Localisation, Places, Public Realm, Regeneration, Reinvention, Resilience, Retail Change, Retail History, Retailing, Shopfronts, Streets, Streetscapes, Tourism, Town Centres, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Conversation: BHS

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Leigh Sparks

The University of Stirling is a supporter of The Conversation and I published a piece there today on the travails of BHS. I reblog it here. You will also see and read some other media coverage of mine in other … Continue reading →

Posted in administration, BHS, Closure, Competition, Consumer Change, Department Stores, Finance, High Streets, Multichannel, Resilience, Store Closures, Town Centres, Variety Stores | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Social Science Perspectives on the High Street

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

Early in 2014, Neil Wrigley from the University of Southampton, invited myself and my colleague, Anne Findlay, to contribute two short chapters to a forthcoming collection of pieces exploring social science perspectives on the Evolving High Street. In particular he … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Closure, Community, Competition, Consumer Change, Data, ESRC, Government, High Streets, Online Retailing, Regeneration, Resilience, Retail Planning, Town Centres, Towns, Vacancies | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s Incredible

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

We hear an awful lot these days about the importance of, and need for, community. This is often in the setting of place-making or rebuilding locations hit by structural and recessionary change. But the numbers of examples of communities doing … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Community, Crowdfunding, Food, Incredible Edible, Local Retailers, Places, Red Tape, Resilience, Seeds, Slow Food | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments