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Author: Leigh Sparks
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January 2021 – Updates of Media Commentary and Journal Articles page structures
October 2020 – Additions of recent articles in Social Science & Medicine and Marketing Theory to the Journal Article section
Top Posts & Pages
- Screen Time? Cinemas and Town Centres
- Retail Sales in Great Britain, January 2021
- Grocery Market Shares in the UK 2020
- Webinar: "A New Future for Scotland's Town Centres"
- Stopping Doing Harm to our Town Centres
- London's Welsh Dairies: The Welsh Milk Trade
- Co-operative Tokens, Sports Direct and The Bristol Pound
- A New Future for Scotland's Towns - (3) Recommendations
- Great Expectations
- A New Future for Scotland's Town Centres - (1) Introduction to our Report
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Category Archives: Sustainability
Stopping Doing Harm to our Town Centres
The Town Centre Action Plan Report (A New Future for Scotland’s Towns) has three types of recommendations. Two of these are reasonably uncontroversial – planning, engaging more local people property and data on towns on the one hand and funding … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Emergency, Community, Government, High Streets, Housing, Internet, Local Authorities, Offices, Out of Town, Places, Property, Public Policy, Rates, Regeneration, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Social Inequality, Social Justice, Social Renewal, Sustainability, Sustainable Development, Tax, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Action Plan Review Group, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized
Tagged Business rates, Climate Emergency, Community, community wealth building, Housing, Local Authorities, Offices, Out of Town, Parking, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Social Renewal, Taxation, Town Centre Action plan, town centre first, Town Centre Review, Town Centres
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Commuting and Retailing in Town Centres
It is not an unusual state of mind these days, but I am puzzled over a couple of things that have been the topic of discussions (or in the first case the media as well) I have been in over … Continue reading
Posted in Cities, Commuting, Decentralisation, Government, Localisation, Places, Reinvention, Retail Parks, Retailers, Retailing, Shopping, Stirling, Sustainability, Town Centres, Towns
Tagged Cities, Co-working spaces, Coffee Shops, Commuting, Decentralisation, Offices, Retailing, Town Centres, towns
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“The Preston Model”: Community Wealth Building
During the National Review of Town Centres, I was introduced to Neil McInroy and his work as the Chief Executive of CLES. We subsequently begin to work together on the specific project of Understanding Scottish Places and he has been … Continue reading
Posted in CLES, Community, Governance, Innovation, Local Authorities, Local Multiplier, Localisation, Networks, Places, Reinvention, Relationships, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Supply Chains, Sustainability, Town Centre Review, Towns, Uncategorized, Understanding Scottish Places
Tagged Assets, CLES, Community, community wealth building, Economy, Local, Local Authorities, Places, Preston, Supply chains, Sustainability, towns, USP, wealth
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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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Where Good Food is a Religion
Regular readers of this blog will be aware of my passion for Welsh rugby, fresh food and especially markets. Every so often the stars align and we take ourselves off to Rome where all can be indulged. And so it … Continue reading
Posted in Campagna Amica, Consumer Lifestyle, Diet and Health, Eataly, Farmers Markets, Food, Food Quality, Food Tourism, Gastronomy, Markets, Producers, Rugby Union, Scotland Food and Drink, Slow Food, Sparks, Supply Chains, Sustainability
Tagged Authenticity, Campagna Amica, Eataly, Farmers Markets, Food, Markets, Producers, Quality, Rome, Rugby, Supply chains
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The ‘squeezed middle’ and the domino effect in the grocery supply chain
A popular phrase used in media and other commentary on the UK grocery system is that “Small firms are being ‘squeezed’ by their powerful partners“. This is shorthand for financial pressures put on SMEs by large organisations such as grocery … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Brexit, Food Retailing, Governance, Networks, Pressure, Regulation, Relationships, Retailers, Suppliers, Supply Chains, Sustainability, Toblerone
Tagged Grocery, manufacturers, Pressures, Prices, Profit, Relationships, Retailers, Suppliers, Supply chains
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‘Oor Summit’ and its Big Ears
Towards the end of the first day of the World Towns Leadership Summit in Edinburgh last week, Neil McInroy tried to describe and capture the sense of engagement and endeavour that the delegates were displaying and he used the phrase … Continue reading
Posted in ATCM, Bids Scotland, Community, Community Development, Connectivity, Data, Downtown, IDA, Leadership, Local Retailers, Places, Public Realm, Reinvention, Retail Change, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Social Justice, Sustainability, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Understanding Scottish Places, University of Stirling, Urban, World Towns Agreement, World Towns Framework, WTLS16
Tagged Community, Places, Public-Private-Social Partnership, Scotland's Towns Partnership, towns, Urban, World Towns Agreement, World Towns Framework, World Towns Leadership Summit
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Fully Funded ESRC Collaborative PhD Studentship on Scottish convenience store retailing
Three Year Fully Funded ESRC Collaborative PhD Studentship on ‘Scottish convenience store retailing; understanding local impacts and cost drivers to enhance performance’ – Now Open for Applications A few weeks ago I gave preliminary notice of our success in obtaining … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Association of Convenience Stores, Convenience stores, ESRC, Food Retailing, Independents, PhD, Retail Economy, Retailers, Scotland, Scottish Grocers Federation, Scottish Local Retailer, Sustainability, University of Stirling
Tagged Convenience stores, ESRC, Local Retailers, PhD, PhD. Retail, Scottish Grocers Federation, University of Stirling
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Place Matters: Local Environmental Quality and Charity Retailing
Last Tuesday was one of those days where I was sort of double-booked, and ended up doing two conference presentations, though I prefer to think of it as enhanced academic productivity. In the morning, I presented on the strategic role … Continue reading
Posted in Charity Shops, Environmental Quality, Keep Scotland Beautiful, Places, Public Realm, Retail Change, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Sustainability, Towns, Uncategorized
Tagged Charity Retailing, Environmental Quality, Keep Scotland Beautiful, Places, Scotland, Scotland's Towns Partnership, towns
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