Author: Leigh Sparks
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January 2024 – Roll over of some areas for new year, plus The Economics Observatory piece on Christmas trading (see commentaries tab)
May 2023 – Two new articles and a book chapter noted on the Journal Articles page
Top Posts & Pages
- Personal News - Retirement
- The architectural heritage of Montague Burton’s Art Deco shops
- Shrewsbury - Welsh or English?
- Grocery Market Shares in Great Britain (GB) 1997-2023
- "Argos catalogues - a fascinating historical archive"
- Twenty One Years of UK Grocery Market Share
- London's Welsh Dairies: The Welsh Milk Trade
- The Year of the Tomato
- Dublin's Fair City
- Herkku Food Market Delicatessen – Helsinki
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Tag Archives: Place
Personal News – Retirement
In September 1983 I arrived at Stirling to seek out somewhere to live before I took up a job at the University. I had been to Scotland once before, but that was a rugby weekend, and memories even then were … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, archives, Argos, Cooperative Group, Institute for Retail Studies, Places, Research, Research Impact, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Towns, University of Stirling
Tagged Emeritus, Institute for Retail Studies, Place, Research, Retail, Retirement, Scotland's Towns Partnership, towns, University of Stirling
13 Comments
Stirlingretail.com : The 2023 Review
It’s that time of year again. The blog is another year older, but certainly not any wiser. At this point I normally reflect on the visitor activity on the blog during the year – and this year is going to … Continue reading
Posted in Branding, Bristol Pound, Cinemas, Cooperatives, Eataly, Grocery retailing, High Streets, Internet shopping, Market Shares, New Future for Scotland's Towns, Online Retailing, Places, Retailers, Retailing, Royal society of Edinburgh, Scotland's National Academy, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scottish Retailing, Self-Service, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centres, Towns
Tagged A New Future for Scotland's Towns, Branding, Cinemas, Cooperative Movement, Eataly, Grocery market, Internet Sales, Market Shares, Place, Review, Royal Societyt of Edinburgh, Scotland, Self-service checkouts, Stirling Council, Stirling Retail, Town Centres, towns, Welsh Dairies
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A Retail Strategy for Scotland
On the 24th March, the Scottish Government unveiled its long-awaited Retail Strategy for Scotland. The Strategy can be found here and the Ministerial statement from Tom Arthur MSP can be found here. Getting the Right Change: A Retail Strategy for … Continue reading
Posted in 20 Minute Neighbourhood, Bids Scotland, Community, Consumer Change, Employment, Government, Internet shopping, Just Transition, Local Retailers, New Future for Scotland's Towns, NPF4, Places, Public Policy, Retail Policy, Retail Strategy, Retailers, Scotland Loves Local, Scotland's Improvement Districts, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Scottish Grocers Federation, Scottish Retailing, Shopping, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centres
Tagged 20 Minute Neighbourhoods, Climate Emergency, Communities, community wealth building, Employment, Fair Work, Just Transition, Place, Retail, Retail Industry Leadership Group, Retail Strategy, Scotland, Scottish Government, Skills, Town Centres, Wellbeing Economy
7 Comments
Place and Wellbeing
I was both pleased and interested to be invited to chair the meeting of the Place and Wellbeing Alliance on the 23rd March. Two years to the day when many people who could started to work from home, and here … Continue reading
Posted in 20 Minute Neighbourhood, Car Use Reduction, Climate Emergency, Community, Data, Health, Neighbourhood, New Future for Scotland's Towns, Our Place, Place Principle, Place Standard, Places, Planning, Public Health, Scottish Government, Shaping Places for Wellbeing, Social Inequality, Social Renewal, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centres, Towns, Understanding Scottish Places, Well being
Tagged 20 Minute Neighbourhoods, A New Future for Scotland's Towns, Car Use Reduction, Inclusive Design, NPF4, Our Place website, Place, Place and Wellbeing Alliance, Place Standard Tool, Planning, Public Health Scotland, Shaping Places for Wellbeing, Wellbeing
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Town Centres in Wales: Bounded Muscularity?
A few months ago I, together with Phil Prentice (STP), had a long discussion with representatives of Audit Wales around enhancing town centres. This came in the wake of the review I chaired, and the report I authored, for the … Continue reading
Posted in Car Parking, Government, High Streets, Out of Town, Places, Regeneration, Retail Change, Retail Policy, Scotland, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Small Towns, Town Centre Action Plan, town centre first, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Understanding Scottish Places, Understanding Welsh Places, Wales
Tagged Audit Wales, Bridgend, Car Dependency, Foundation Economy Research, Non-domestic rates, Place, Regeneration, Retailing, Scotland, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Tax, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, towns, Understanding Scottish Places, Understanding Welsh Places, Wales
2 Comments
Food and Retailing Cultures: Zaragoza
On a few occasions before, I have come back from somewhere and commented on the quality of food and/or retail culture that I have observed. I have then contrasted it with our own paucity of offer. I know this can … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Consumer Lifestyle, Food, Food Retailing, Heritage, Lisbon, Local Retailers, Markets, Places, Retail History, Retail Planning, Shopfronts, Signage, Spaces, Streetscapes, Town Centres, Uncategorized, Urban History
Tagged Food, Food Culture, Heritage, Historical shops, Markets, Place, Retail History, Signs, Zaragoza
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It’s Incredible
We hear an awful lot these days about the importance of, and need for, community. This is often in the setting of place-making or rebuilding locations hit by structural and recessionary change. But the numbers of examples of communities doing … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Community, Crowdfunding, Food, Incredible Edible, Local Retailers, Places, Red Tape, Resilience, Seeds, Slow Food
Tagged Community, Food, Growing, Incredible Edible, Local, Place, Todmorden
4 Comments
Riots
It has been a little hard to know whether or not to add to the volume of material that has been written and broadcast etc about the English urban riots of the last week. What can be added to the … Continue reading
Posted in High Streets, Independents, Places, Retailers, Riots, Town Centres, Uncategorized
Tagged High Streets, Place, Riots, Shops, Town Centres
1 Comment
What am I, BID
The right place to start is by declaring an interest; I am a Board member of the company that encourages Business Improvement Districts (BIDS) in Scotland and as such am highly supportive of BIDS as an activity. So my comments … Continue reading
Scotland’s Shops and Shopfronts: history and future?
One of the benefits of the Easter long weekend/fortnight, not that the retail group in the University ever rests, is a small amount of time to catch up on things. I first became aware of Lindsay Lennie some years ago … Continue reading
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