Tag Archives: internet retailing

An (Un)Happy Anniversary

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Leigh Sparks

On the 16th March 2020 I started working from home.  There had been an odd set of circumstances in the run-up to this date. We’d come back from South Africa in late January and I’d felt a little unwell; something … Continue reading →

Posted in Amazon, Books, Cardiff, Christmas, Consumer Change, Consumer Lifestyle, Consumers, Covid19, Farmers Markets, Food, Food and Beverage, Food Retailing, Home Delivery, Independents, Internet shopping, Local Retailers, Localisation, Lockdown, Online Retailing, Pandemic, Producers, Products, Retail Change, Retailers, Retailing, Scotland Food and Drink, Scottish Retailing, Small Shops, Stirling, Uncategorized, Wholesaling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Grocery Market Shares in the UK 2020

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

In July of each year I have recorded the  Grcery Market Share of leading retailers in Great Britain as shown by Kantar data. This has been going on since 1997 and I have mentioned this series in this blog before … Continue reading →

Posted in Asda, Cooperative Group, Cooperatives, Covid19, Discounters, Food Retailing, Home Delivery, Independents, Internet shopping, Kantar, Lidl, Localisation, Lockdown, Market Shares, Ocado, Online Retailing, Retail Change, Retail Sales, Retailers, Retailing, Tesco, Uncategorized, Wal-Mart | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Retail Armageddon – Non Food

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

In my last post, I considered some of the best and worst behaviours we have seen in food retailing during the COVID-19 crisis to date.  Now we have the Government lockdown and the splitting of retailing into essential and non-essential … Continue reading →

Posted in Amazon, Closure, Consumers, Covid19, CVA, Employment practices, Fashion, Government, Landlords, Online Retailing, Rents, Retail Change, Retailers, Retailing, Shopping Centres, Sports Direct, Suppliers, Uncategorized, Wetherspoons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Business Rates vs Online Tax

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

The upcoming Budget has as normal seen a flurry of ‘advice’ for the UK Government’s Chancellor.  Much of this is special pleading, especially in the light of the so-called End of Austerity.  Within this though the issue of business rates … Continue reading →

Posted in Barclay Review, BRC, Digital, Government, High Streets, Internet shopping, Large Store Levy, Local Retailers, Online Retailing, Rates, Retail Failure, Tax, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Scottish Diet and Retail Shops

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Leigh Sparks

The Scottish diet has become a short-hand for unhealthy living.  All the evidence points to its stubborn lack of change despite information, exhortation and even small measures of legislation.  Whilst retailers and manufacturers have taken some actions on reformulation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Advertising, Availability, Behavioural Economics, Brands, Consumer Choice, Consumer Lifestyle, Diet and Health, Discounts, Food Retailing, Food Standards, Healthcare Retail Standard, Labelling, Marketing, Merchandising, Policy, Pricing, Research, Retail Policy, Retailers, Scotland, Scotland Food and Drink, Scottish Retailing, Small Shops, Space, Sugar Tax, Supermarket, Suppliers, Tax, Unit Pricing, University of Stirling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

“Retailers Urge Holyrood Policy Change to Stem Decline”

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Leigh Sparks

Under the headline “Retailers urge Holyrood policy change to stem decline”, Scotland on Sunday on the 11th September (article here) reported on a ‘call to arms’ from the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) arguing for more support from the Scottish Government … Continue reading →

Posted in BRC, Closure, Competition, Consumer Change, Costs, Data, Employment, Internet shopping, Online Retailing, Profits, Retail Change, Retailing, Scotland, Scottish Government, Scottish Retail Consortium, Shop Numbers, Statistics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Conversation: What is Going on at Tesco?

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

The University of Stirling is a supporter of The Conversation, and I published a commentary there yesterday. I reblog it here. My commentary, perhaps unsurprisingly, was on the goings-on at Tesco, which has been something of a running theme on … Continue reading →

Posted in Click and Collect, Competition, Consumer Change, Discounters, Finance, Food Retailing, Internet shopping, Retail Failure, Tesco | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

If I had a hammer …

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

I am useless at DIY as anyone who knows me can testify. I can wield a hammer but other tools are beyond me, and whilst in my long ago youth I spent a golden summer as a brickie’s labourer, no … Continue reading →

Posted in B&Q, Catalogues, Closure, DIY, International Retailing, Internet shopping, Online Retailing, Screwfix, Space | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sting in the Tale of Internet Shopping

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

The week before last, STV news featured a (very brief) clip of me discussing the rise of internet shopping. This had been prompted by the news that it was 20 years since the first commercial internet shopping purchase. I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Click and Collect, Consumer Change, Design, Internet, Internet shopping, Multichannel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Happy New Year – more for some than others

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Leigh Sparks

Now the Christmas reporting season has pretty much run its course, a number of general points seem to have surfaced. As with every other Christmas, there are always winners and losers and the curious mix of tactical success and structural … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Competition, Consumer Change, Discounts, Internet shopping, Multichannel, Retail Economy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment