Category Archives: Technology

Is it the End for Self-Checkouts?

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Leigh Sparks

A few weeks ago, an announcement by Booths (the north west of England supermarket chain) sparked a lot of media interest and column inches. They had decided to remove self-checkouts from all bar two of their stores. Was this the … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Booths, Checkouts, Consumers, Customer engagement, Customer Service, Employees, Marks and Spencer, Retailers, Retailing, Self-checkout, Self-Scanning, Self-Service, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lockdown 1990s style

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

I am one of the fortunate ones, living in a large house with a garden.  I’ve always grown fruit and veg and have been making my own bread since 2007.  I also spent nearly 10 weeks locked-in in the house … Continue reading →

Posted in Click and Collect, Connectivity, Consumers, Covid19, Home Delivery, Internet, Internet shopping, Localisation, Lockdown, Online Retailing, Orkney, Social Inequality, Technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Retail Armageddon or Reinvention?

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

On the 3rd March, the University of Stirling, the Stirling Management School and the Institute for Retail Studies were very pleased to host the Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, Helen Dickinson, OBE.  In front of an audience of … Continue reading →

Posted in Accounting, BRC, Brexit, Consumer Change, Employees, Government, Institute for Retail Studies, Internet shopping, Legislation, Local Retailers, Online Retailing, Rates, Regeneration, Regulation, Reinvention, Retail brands, Retail Change, Retail Policy, Scottish Government, Scottish Grocers Federation, Scottish Retailing, Small Shops, Technology, Uncategorized, University of Stirling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

HMV – predictable or what?

Posted on December 31, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

125 stores, 2200 direct employees, an unknown number of individuals and businesses also linked to, and supplying, the company;  the administration and likely demise of HMV would be problematic at any time but between Christmas and New Year it has … Continue reading →

Posted in administration, Amazon, Boxing Day, Closure, Competition, Consumer Change, Customer Service, Government, High Streets, HMV, Internet shopping, Local Retailers, Online Retailing, Rates, Record stores, Retail Change, Retail Failure, Tax, Technology, Timpsons, Town Centres, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Healthy Ageing in Scotland (HAGIS) and Online Shopping

Posted on February 9, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

We are all getting older, even if many of us are feeling younger than our chronological age.  The ageing of the population is a recurrent theme cutting across topics and activities.  But, in all of the discussion, there is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Consumers, Digital, HAGIS, Healthy Ageing, Institute for Retail Studies, Internet, Internet shopping, Older consumers, Online Retailing, Retail Change, Retailing, Technology, University of Stirling | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Vending Machines and the Internet

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Leigh Sparks

I first encountered John Dawson when I was working in the City Council in Townsville, Northern Queensland.  I was on a four-month exchange as a student and had been asked to do some research on shopping centres.  As a consequence … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Automation, Consumer Lifestyle, Farm Shops, Online Retailing, Opening Hours, Restaurants, Singapore, Technology, Uncategorized, Vending Machines | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Navigating The New Retail Landscape

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Leigh Sparks

Readers of this blog will be aware of the occasional use of guest bloggers and of book reviews.  A couple of weeks ago my colleague Steve Burt showed me a new retail book he had bought, authored by two contemporaries … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Books, Consumer Change, Consumers, Customer engagement, International Retailing, Internet, Multichannel, Retail Change, Retail leadership, Retailers, Strategy, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Christmas Past; Christmas Future?

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

With the Asda results due this week, the dust has sort of settled over Christmas trading. There are plenty of reports and coverage on the winners and loser based on sales and some evidence for some on the impacts on … Continue reading →

Posted in Availability, Christmas, Consumer Change, Internet shopping, Marks and Spencer, Multichannel, PC World, Technology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Professorial Provocations, the Burg(h)ers of St Andrews and Other Stories

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Leigh Sparks

A few weeks ago I was invited to a Public Finance/Deloitte roundtable on town centres and the high street, and asked to do an introductory piece to kick it off. I went with one my”professorial provocations” about which I’ve written … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Food Retailing, Government, High Streets, MSPs, Opening Hours, Retailers, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Technology, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Vending Machines | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment