Tag Archives: Localisation

Retail Sales in Great Britain, January 2021

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Leigh Sparks

A couple of weeks ago, the Office for National Statistics produced the monthly retail sales figures for Great Britain for January 2021.  This is the first full month of data since lockdown was reintroduced before and around Christmas. The press … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Click and Collect, Clothing, Consumer Change, Convenience stores, Covid19, Essential Retailing, Food Retailing, Internet shopping, Local Retailers, Localisation, Lockdown, Non-Essential Retailing, Non-food retailing, Office for National Statistics, Online Retailing, Pandemic, Retail Change, Retail Sales, Retailers, Supermarket, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scotland Loves Local

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

People across the country are being urged to think local first and help fuel the nation’s financial fightback from coronavirus by supporting local businesses whilst still being aware of the public health guidelines. On the 20th July Scotland’s Towns Partnership … Continue reading →

Posted in Bids Scotland, Campaigns, Community, Consumer Choice, Consumers, Covid19, Government, Independents, Internet shopping, Local Authorities, Local Multiplier, Local Retailers, Localisation, Places, Retailers, Retailing, Scotland's Improvement Districts, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Scottish Grocers Federation, Scottish Retailing, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Towns: Time for some good news

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Leigh Sparks

This blog has railed, far too often, at the dire coverage of high streets and towns.  Partial data, an agenda of failure, a lack of intelligence and thinking about what is being studied and a seemingly overwhelming desire to stigmatise … Continue reading →

Posted in "We" towns, Carnegie UK Trust, Community, Craft Town, Dumfries, Incredible Edible, Independents, Innovation, Local Retailers, Localisation, Places, Regeneration, Reinvention, Relationships, Totnes, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scotland’s Towns Conference 2019

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Leigh Sparks

One of the now established features of Scotland’s Towns Partnership and Scotland’s Towns Week is the Annual Conference.  For many years it has been located in the Central Belt, but for 2019 it relocated to Aberdeen.  There are many good … Continue reading →

Posted in Aberdeen, Amsterdam, BIDS, Bids Scotland, Consumer Change, Cork, Creative Places, Development Trusts, Healthy Ageing, High Streets, Local Authorities, Localisation, Place Standard, Places, Policy, Public Realm, Retail Change, Retail Policy, Retailers, Scotland's Improvement Districts, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Scottish Retailing, Small Towns, Streetscapes, Town Centre Action Plan, town centre first, Town Centre Living, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Urban | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dead or Alive?

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Leigh Sparks

A few weeks ago I was reading an interview in the Guardian and the interviewee, the writer Barbara Kingsolver, said about the Great Barrier Reef: “You’re hearing about everything that dies, you’re not hearing about everything that’s still alive.  If … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Consumers, Local Retailers, Localisation, Regeneration, Reinvention, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Small Shops, Small Towns, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Any Given Sunday?

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

Well, the first Conservative UK budget for 18 years has been and gone, and no doubt retailers are beginning to assess what it all means for them. That might be tough given the lack of some details, some rabbits that … Continue reading →

Posted in Association of Convenience Stores, Consumers, Government, Independents, Legislation, Localisation, Part-time working, Planning, Profits, Rates, Regulation, Retail Policy, Retailers, Scottish Government, Sunday Trading, Wages | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Conversation: Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Silver Linings

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

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

Made in Stirling

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Leigh Sparks

Over the last year I have increasingly argued that with the withdrawal of many multiple retailers from many high streets we are entering a period a major structural change in consumer behaviour and retail opportunities. This will not necessarily be … Continue reading →

Posted in High Streets, Independents, Localisation, Places, Pop-Up Shops, Property, Regeneration, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Start-ups, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments