Tag Archives: Policy

Towns, High Streets and Resilience: A Question for Policy?

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Leigh Sparks

“It is all too easy to talk about “bouncing back to where we were” without asking which “we” is counted and without asking whether “where we were” is a place to which a return is desirable”. (Vale, 2014, p198) Some … Continue reading →

Posted in 20 Minute Neighbourhood, Academics, CLES, Community, community wealth building, Covid19, Government, High Streets, Pandemic, Public Policy, Resilience, Retail Change, Retail Policy, Retailers, Retailing, Scotland Loves Local, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scottish Government, Scottish Retailing, Social Renewal, Sustainability, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Action Plan Review Group, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fighting Fit? Independent Convenience Stores and the Public Health Agenda

Posted on November 29, 2019 by Leigh Sparks

The last 2019 Cross Party Group for Independent Convenience Stores, held last week, was a cracker.  With all the excitement of the AGM (not really), it was almost too much to have three excellent presentations on retailing and the public … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Alcohol, Best Start Foods, Convenience stores, Cross Party Group, Deposit Return Scheme, Diet and Health, Food Retailing, Food Standards Scotland, Government, Healthcare Retail Standard, Healthy Living, Independents, Internet shopping, Legislation, Local Retailers, Politicians, Products, Regulation, Retail leadership, Retail Policy, Scotland, Scottish Government, Scottish Grocers Federation, Scottish Local Retailer, Scottish Retailing, Small Shops, Sugar Tax, Uncategorized, University of Stirling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Do Rural and Urban Scotland need each other?

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

At the end of June 2015, various invited delegates met up at the Stirling Court Hotel on the University of Stirling campus to discuss the topic: “Do Rural and Urban Scotland need each other”? The event was organised by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Inter-depenendencies, Places, Policy, Retail Policy, Rural, Small Towns, Towns, Urban, USP | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

What Are Retailers For?

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Leigh Sparks

My recent visit to Poland and the symposium on sustainable development discussion brought back memories from my first visit to Poland in 1987 and discussions we had there around retail location and the purpose of retailing. In that not quite … Continue reading →

Posted in Alcohol, Diet and Health, Legislation, Plastic Bags, Retail Levy, Scotland, Scottish Government, Tobacco | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Social Science Perspectives on the High Street

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

Early in 2014, Neil Wrigley from the University of Southampton, invited myself and my colleague, Anne Findlay, to contribute two short chapters to a forthcoming collection of pieces exploring social science perspectives on the Evolving High Street. In particular he … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Closure, Community, Competition, Consumer Change, Data, ESRC, Government, High Streets, Online Retailing, Regeneration, Resilience, Retail Planning, Town Centres, Towns, Vacancies | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Scotland’s Towns Partnership: new Chair Announced

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Leigh Sparks

It is not that I want another job – honest – but I really was delighted and honored to accept an invitation to become the Chair of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, which was announced this morning. I was also very flattered … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, High Streets, Retail Policy, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Town Centre Review, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scotland’s Towns Conference: Making it Personal

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Leigh Sparks

What sort of town centre do you want? Scotland’s Towns Conference was held the other week in Perth as noted here before. It formed part of a Towns week across Scotland which saw other events being held locally as well … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, Places, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Town Centre Review, Town Centres | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Trading with the Enemy

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Leigh Sparks

Irresistable isn’t it? It is difficult not to be cynical when the retail red tape challenge results, announced today by Vince Cable, produced the dramatic outcome that the Trading with the Enemy Act was redundant. So retailers are no longer … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, Red Tape, Regulation, Retail Policy | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment