Tag Archives: Edinburgh

St James Quarter – curating and change

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Leigh Sparks

Last week saw the opening of parts of the St James Quarter in Edinburgh.  Conceived a long time ago, and without any conception of the possibilities and impact of a global pandemic, the centre is in some ways of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Aberdeen, BIDS, City Centres, Edinburgh, John Lewis Partnership, Pandemic, Retailers, Scotland, Scotland's Improvement Districts, Scottish Retailing, Shopping Centres, St James Quarter, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shopping Centres and Town Centres in Scotland

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

The significance of shopping centres across Scotland is undeniable and has been the subject of interest for Scotland’s Towns Partnership (with REVO and DWF LLP), as this blog has noted before.  Last week the same partners brought together a range … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer Change, Edinburgh, Government, Local Authorities, Malls, Paisley, Places, Regeneration, Reinvention, Retail Change, Retailers, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Scottish Retailing, Shopping Centres, SNIB, Social value, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Urban, Vacancies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scotland: Housing to 2040

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

On a regular basis I get emails offering content for this blog.  Most are ‘cold calls’ selling some product/service or other.  Unless they are from a company/person I already know in some way, they get rather short shrift.  Just before … Continue reading →

Posted in Airbnb, Edinburgh, Government, Housing, Legislation, Places, Scottish Government, Town Centre Living, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Clicks and Mortar by Amazon

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Leigh Sparks

Last Friday afternoon I attended a launch of the new Amazon inspired and supported Clicks and Mortar store in the Waverley Mall, Edinburgh.  This is the third such store and the first in Scotland; ten are planned in total over … Continue reading →

Posted in Amazon, Amazon Clicks and Mortar, Brands, Edinburgh, Entrepreneurship, Independents, Internet shopping, Malls, Online Retailing, Pop Up Shops, Pop-Up Shops, Reinvention, Retail brands, Retail Change, Retailers, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Retailing, Shopping Centres, Small Shops, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Vacancies, Waverley Mall | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

HoF: House of Fools?

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

Thursday’s much trailed announcement that House of Fraser was aiming to close 31 of its 59 stores in the UK and was seeking large rent reductions on those that remain, all as part of a seemingly contested CVA, was the … Continue reading →

Posted in BHS, Buildings, Cardiff, Consumer Change, Costs, CVA, Department Stores, Edinburgh, High Streets, Historic Shops, Internet shopping, Jenners, John Lewis Partnership, Online Retailing, Oxford Street, Places, Retail Change, Retail Failure, Town & Country PLanning, Town Centres, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Traditions and Ghosts in Scotland’s Shops

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Leigh Sparks

Anyone following my twitter feed (@sparks_stirling) will have encountered my fascination and interest in ghost signs. It has also been included in some musings from me and a guest contribution to this blog.  I had a previous tendency to focus … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Architecture, Buildings, Edinburgh, Fife, Ghost Signs, Heritage, Historic Shops, History, Places, Retail History, Royal Mile, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Shopfronts, Streetscapes, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gardens and Gin

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Leigh Sparks

I sometimes wonder what visitors make of Scotland. When I first moved up we did a lot of the tourist things, as people and family visited, but as life goes on it is all too easy to look to further … Continue reading →

Posted in Alcohol, Architecture, Buildings, Community, Distillery, Edinburgh, Festivals, Gardens, Gin, Historic Shops, Royal Mile, Scotland Food and Drink, Spaces, Urban History | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

World Towns Leadership Summit 2016

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Leigh Sparks

The next two days will see almost 200 delegates from across the world and the UK assemble in Edinburgh for the inaugural World Towns Leadership Summit. Stemming from an initial idea from the International Downtown Association, picked up by the … Continue reading →

Posted in ATCM, BIDS, Bids Scotland, Downtown, Government, IDA, Leadership, Places, Policy, Public Realm, Relationships, Scotland, Scottish Government, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Urban, World Towns Agreement, WTLS16 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Where’s the Beef?

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Leigh Sparks

I don’t think I’ve eaten horse … well not knowingly. I’ve tried my fair share of the weird and wonderful in my travels (rattlesnake, alligator, zebra, warthog, various of Bambi’s relatives, squirrel, assorted insects), and some of it has been … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Diet and Health, Doughnuts, Food, Food Quality, Labelling, Local Retailers, Retail Parks, Slow Food, Supply Chains, Tax | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Tale of Two Capitals?

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Leigh Sparks

Over the last couple of weekends I have been in Edinburgh and London, and for various reasons spent some time in arguably the two major off-centre shopping centres in each city – the Gyle in Edinburgh and Westfield Stratford in … Continue reading →

Posted in Closure, Design, Olympics, Retail Economy, Retail Planning, Shopping Centres | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments