Tag Archives: Christmas

BrickMeetsClick: The Lidl Social Price Drop

Posted on December 8, 2016 by

A few years ago I was invited to became a “Black Belt” on the retail and retail technology site Brick Meets Click. This involves some occasional retail debate and commentary and some interaction with various retail stories and news. I … Continue reading →

Posted in BrickMeetsClick, Christmas, Competition, Customer engagement, Food Retailing, Lidl, Pricing, Retail brands, Social media, Twitter | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fight Time? The Boxing Day Petition

Posted on December 5, 2016 by

The issue of opening hours for shops is something that has been an ever-present during my time as an academic.  The product-based absurdities of the late 1970s and early 1980s were eventually swept away as opening hours were modernised and … Continue reading →

Posted in Alcohol, Black Friday, Boxing Day, Campaigns, Christmas, Consumer Lifestyle, Cyber Monday, Employees, Employment, Employment practices, Government, Internet shopping, Legislation, Online Retailing, Opening Hours, Petitions, Regulation, Small Shops, Supermarket | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Market Time

Posted on January 13, 2016 by

I suspect that my interest in markets was sparked at a young age when my father would take me to the livestock market and my mother would take me to the open-air market (Cheapside) and to the covered food market, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Experiential, Farmers Markets, Festivals, Food, Krakow, London, Markets, Places, Spaces, Streetscapes, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Perfect Storm?

Posted on January 4, 2016 by

Are the storms getting worse now that someone has decided to give them names? Certainly by the time Frank had finished with my garden, I’d pretty much got the swimming pool I always thought that I had not wanted. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Friday, Christmas, Closure, Consumer Change, Costs, Discounters, Internet, Margins, Retail Economy, Retail Failure, Sales, Stock | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Christmas Markets?

Posted on January 20, 2015 by

I did some shopping this year in a sort of Christmas market; as normal I frequented the Stirling Farmers’ Market including its additional date for Christmas. Last year I did go to the Edinburgh Christmas Market, but beyond the alcohol … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Competition, Farmers Markets, Independents, Local Retailers, Markets, Public Realm | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Conversation: Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Silver Linings

Posted on December 3, 2014 by

The University of Stirling is a supporter of The Conversation, and I recently had a commentary published there. I reblog it here. ’Tis the season to spend, spend, spend … or so retailers would have us think By Leigh Sparks, … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Friday, Christmas, Consumer Change, Cyber Monday, Festivals, Internet, Internet shopping, Localisation, Online Retailing, Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Christmas Past; Christmas Future?

Posted on February 19, 2014 by

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