Tag Archives: failure

Scottish Retail Sales: seeing the impact of Lockdown

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

Earlier today (22nd April) the March figures from the Scottish Retail Sales Monitor (managed by the British Retail Consortium and KPMG) were published. They were as bad as everyone expected, and the commentary in the media showed due concern (for … Continue reading →

Posted in Availability, BRC, Closure, Community, Consumer Change, Consumers, Convenience stores, Covid19, Food, Food Retailing, Grocery, High Streets, Independents, Internet shopping, Lockdown, Market Shares, Non-food retailing, Panic buying, Places, Rents, Resilience, Retail Change, Retail Economy, Retail Sales, Retailers, Retailing, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scottish Retail Consortium, Scottish Retail Sales, Scottish Retailing, Shopping, Social Inequality, Supply Chains, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Landlords vs Retailers or Zombies vs Aliens?

Posted on June 13, 2019 by Leigh Sparks

There are not many reasons for feeling sorry for Philip Green (see my earlier blogs here  here and here and those were before the latest American and other revelations), but the fact that he is in such a weakened state … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Arcadia, Closure, CVA, Inter-depenendencies, Landlords, management, Philip Green, Property, Rates, Rents, Retail Change, Store Closures, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

#Woolies10

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Leigh Sparks

I was out at the country on the tenth ‘anniversary’ of the closure of the last Woolworths store in the UK – 6th January to be exact.   I had already contributed to an element of the ‘celebration’/‘remembrance’, so didn’t feel … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Churn, Closure, Consumers, Corporate History, Ghost Signs, Heritage, High Streets, Historic Shops, History, Pound Shops, Poundland, Retail Failure, Shopfronts, Store Closures, Streetscapes, Towns, Uncategorized, Urban History, Woolworths | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“No Town Immune”: Data and reporting

Posted on April 12, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

On Tuesday afternoon, I was contacted by a journalist (Stephen Naysmith) from The Herald about the upcoming Local Data Company/PwC report on high streets.  He sent me the (then) embargoed press release.  I attach it here for those interested and … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Closure, Data, Government, High Streets, Independents, Internet, Local Data Company, Online Retailing, Places, Retail Failure, Retailers, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scottish Retailing, SNP, Town Centres, Towns, Understanding Scottish Places, Vacancies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

2000 and Counting

Posted on March 26, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

This just popped up in my Twitter timeline; a tweet from James Timpson, announcing that Timpson’s had just opened their 2000th store.  Now I am pretty sure that Twitter timelines reflect personality traits (hello, Cambridge Analytica, I’ll save you the … Continue reading →

Posted in Competition, Consumer Change, CVA, High Streets, Leadership, Retail Change, Retail Failure, Retailers, Service Quality, Store Closures, Timpsons, Towns, Turnaround | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Embracing Failure in the Shadow of Success

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Leigh Sparks

This post’s title is the sub-title from a book I recently read.  It concerns Mick Channon Jnr and his relationship with his father, who he describes as “an arthritic workaholic grumpy old bastard” and only grudgingly as an ex England … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Bookmakers, Charity Shops, Closure, Consumer Lifestyle, Discounters, Heritage, High Streets, Local Retailers, Markets, Places, Planning, Pound Shops, Property, Regeneration, Retail Economy, Shopfronts, Social Inequality, Social Justice, Store Closures, Town Centres, Towns | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Playthings of the Monetary Rich and (In) Famous

Posted on June 12, 2016 by Leigh Sparks

The last couple of times this blog has fallen silent for a month, it has been because of a death in my family. Thankfully, this time that is not the case, though an alleged death threat does feature. Can you … Continue reading →

Posted in administration, BHS, Closure, Comet, Governance, Liquidation, Pensions, Retail Failure, Select Committees, Store Closures | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

The Conversation: BHS

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Leigh Sparks

The University of Stirling is a supporter of The Conversation and I published a piece there today on the travails of BHS. I reblog it here. You will also see and read some other media coverage of mine in other … Continue reading →

Posted in administration, BHS, Closure, Competition, Consumer Change, Department Stores, Finance, High Streets, Multichannel, Resilience, Store Closures, Town Centres, Variety Stores | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Have You Heard of Sanders Bros?

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

For me it all began when one of my MBA retailing students showed me an advertisement from the 1933 Times and challenged me, as a Professor of Retail Studies, to tell him who Sanders Bros were, given that they were … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Books, Closure, Food Retailing, Historic Shops, History, Retail Failure, Retail History, Sainsbury, Sanders Bros, Tesco | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

What Future for the Co-operative Group?

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

“This is a radical report aimed at a stuffy, conservative organisation which has fallen badly behind the times. After such a report, no movement could possibly sit back and do nothing.” One might be forgiven for thinking that the quotation … Continue reading →

Posted in Competition, Cooperative Group, Cooperatives, Governance, Retail Failure, Retailers | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments