Author: Leigh Sparks
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April 2022 -new journal article published (Journal Articles page) on Twenty-One Years of Going Shopping and Marketing History
January 2022 – removal of some redundant pages, reordering of some material, the addition of some new pages (under Commentaries), and some changes to some of the text throughout
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Tag Archives: Digital
Predicting the Post-Covid Retail Landscape: presentation for Scottish Grocers Federation Cross Party Group
Later on today (from 1815 on the 16th March to be exact) I will be presenting virtually at the latest Scottish Grocers Federation organised Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on Local Convenience Stores. I will be speaking, together with David … Continue reading
Posted in Amsterdam, Consumer Change, Consumers, Convenience, Convenience stores, Covid19, Dark Stores, Food Retailing, Internet shopping, Local Retailers, Online Retailing, Retail Change, Retail Policy, Scotland, Scottish Government, Scottish Grocers Federation, Scottish Retail Consortium, Scottish Retailing, Supply Chains
Tagged Convenience stores, Costs, Covid19, Cross Party Group, Dark Stores, Digital, Future, Hyper Local, Inflation, internet retailing, John Lewis, Local Stores, Retailing, Scottish Government, Scottish Grocers Federation, Scottish Parliament, scottish retail consortium, Scottish Retail Sales Monitor, Supply chains, Working from Home
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A New Future for Scotland’s Town Centres – (1) Introduction to our Report
This is the first of three linked posts on the Town Centre Action Plan Review Group Report (an introduction, summary of the review approach, recommendations). The full report and details of the Review Group, evidence submitted and heard and background … Continue reading
Posted in 20 Minute Neighbourhood, Community, Community Assets, Government, High Streets, Places, Public Policy, Regeneration, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Social Inequality, Tax, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Action Plan Review Group, town centre first, Town Centre Living, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized
Tagged Communities, Community, COSLA, Digital, High Streets, Local Government, Out of Town, Place Principle, Planning, Scotland, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Taxation, Town Centre Action plan, Town Centre Action Plan Review Group, Town Centre Review, Town Centres
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A New Future for Scotland’s Towns – (3) Recommendations
This is the third of three linked posts on the Town Centre Action Plan Review Group Report (an introduction, summary of the review approach, recommendations). The full report and details of the Review Group, evidence submitted and heard and background … Continue reading
Posted in 20 Minute Neighbourhood, Citizens, Community, Community Assets, Community Development, Community Ownership, Creative Places, Development Trusts, Entrepreneurship, Governance, Government, High Streets, Housing, Independents, Internet, Leadership, Local Authorities, Local Retailers, Places, Proactive Planning, Rates, Regeneration, Retail Policy, Retailing, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Social Inequality, Social Justice, Tax, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Action Plan Review Group, town centre first, Town Centre Living, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Understanding Scottish Places
Tagged Active travel, Car Parking, Climate Emergency, Community, Digital, Entrepreneurship, High Streets, Local Government, Out of town impacts, Planning, Rates, Scotland, Social Inequality, Social Renewal, Tax, Town Centre Action Plan Review Group, Town Centre Review, Town Centrres, towns
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HMV – predictable or what?
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 administration, Amazon, Boxing Day, Business rates, Christmas, Christmas trading, Digital, HILCO, HMV, Internet, Music, Profits, Record shops, Sales, Streaming, Tax, technology, Timpson
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“Destination High Street – Restoring Vibrancy to Scotland’s Towns”
The invitation from the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland (AHSS) and the Scottish Civic Trust was to present a keynote address to their conference on ‘Destination High Street’. As both Professor of Retail Studies and Chair, Scotland’s Towns Partnership I … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, BIDS, Buildings, Community, Community Development, Consumer Change, Consumer Lifestyle, Creative Places, Design, Development Trusts, Environmental Quality, Government, High Streets, Historic Shops, Internet shopping, Local Retailers, Online Retailing, Places, Public Realm, Rates, Retail Change, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Small Towns, Social Inequality, Streets, Streetscapes, Tax, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Living, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Understanding Scottish Places, Urban
Tagged Community, Consumers, Digital, Heritage, High Street, National Review of Town Centres, Places, Rates, Retailing, Scotland, Scotland's Town Centres, Scotland's Towns, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Tax, Town Centres, Understanding Scottish Places
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Twin Towns
To anyone with a Welsh background and an interest in films, Twin Town conjures up a film of 20+ years ago which was described as a Welsh Trainspotting, though less successful. Lock up your sheep and pretty much anything else, … Continue reading
Posted in Carnegie UK Trust, Collaboration, Community, Heritage, High Streets, History, Markets, Places, Regeneration, Small Towns, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized
Tagged Carnegie UK Trust, Collaboration, Community, Development, Digital, Heritage, High Streets, Identity, Markets, Places, Small Towns, towns, Twin Towns, Twinning
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Unlocking the Potential of Scotland’s Towns
For most in Scotland, November 9th will probably be recalled as the day President Trump became a reality. The irony that that day was the 27th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall will not be lost on some … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Creative Places, Digital, Fife, Government, High Streets, Places, Planning, Proactive Planning, Regeneration, Retail Change, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Small Towns, Town Centre Action Plan, town centre first, Town Centre Living, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, WTLS16
Tagged Community, Connectivity, Creative, Democracy, Digital, Governance, Places, Proactive Planning, Regeneration, Scotland's Towns, Scotland's Towns Conference, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Town Centre Living
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No (digital) place like home?
Over the last few years I have had several very interesting conversations with Simon Baldwin about the role of digital and social media in the development and maintenance of places, towns and BIDs. In response to my last post on … Continue reading
Posted in Communications, Digital, Home, Internet, Places, Scotland, Social media, Towns
Tagged BIDs, Communications, Digital, Home, Identity, Internet, Places, Scotland, Shopping Centres, towns
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Scotland’s Towns Conference 2014: Quick Reaction
The flagship national event of Scotland’s Towns Week is Scotland’s Towns Conference, held this year on the 19th November, in the magnificent Paisley Town Hall. Organised by Scotland’s Towns Partnership – Scotland’s ‘go-to’ organisation for Scotland’s Towns – this year’s … Continue reading
Posted in Digital, Entrepreneurship, Government, High Streets, Public Realm, Regeneration, Retail Policy, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns
Tagged Creativity, Digital, Entrepreneurship, Regeneration, Scotland's Towns Conference, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scotland's Towns Week, Town Centres
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Town Centre Action Plan – One Year On
At the Scotland’s Towns Partnership Conference in Inverness last November, I extracted a pledge/promise (but most definitely not a vow) from the Towns Minister Derek Mackay to, one year on, reflect on progress against his Town Centre Action Plan (TCAP). … Continue reading
Posted in BIDS, Government, High Streets, Local Data Company, Planning, Public Realm, Rates, Regeneration, Rents, Retail Planning, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns
Tagged BIDs, Debate, Digital, Fraser review, Government, Scotland's Towns, Scotland's Towns Conference, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Town Centre Action plan
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