Author: Leigh Sparks
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February 2023 – New piece for The Conversation on online retailing (see commentaries tab)
January 2023 – Roll over of some areas for new year, plus The Conversation piece on Christmas trading updates published (see commentaries tab) and main posts
December 2022 – End of year tidying up and re-arrangement, including link to EDAS podcast on places and towns (see presentations tab)
April 2022 -new journal article published (Journal Articles page) on Twenty-One Years of Going Shopping and Marketing History
Top Posts & Pages
- Personal Announcement: FRSE
- London's Welsh Dairies: The Welsh Milk Trade
- Twenty One Years of UK Grocery Market Share
- UK Grocery Market Share 1997-2019
- Internet sales as a percentage of retail sales in the UK
- Co-operative Tokens, Sports Direct and The Bristol Pound
- Journal Articles 2021
- Retail Branding: it's not (just) private label
- Commentaries
- Ghost Signs and Retailing
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Tag Archives: Prices
The Price of Petrol
During the summer my pattern of buying petrol changed. My semi-regular route takes me past two independent garages and two superstores. Almost invariably over years Tesco has been the cheapest, often by some margin. But this changed at some point, … Continue reading
Posted in Asda, CMA, Competition, Competition and Markets Authority, Convenience stores, Cooperative Group, Independents, Petrol, Pricing, Tesco, Wholesaling
Tagged Asda, CMA, Co-operative Group, Competition, independents, Petrol, Prices, Retailing, Tesco
1 Comment
The (Retail) Reality of our Current Predicament
Whatever political leanings one has, the last ten days or so have hopefully provided a nadir in political (mis-)management of the economy and society. The crashing of the pound, the almost demise of the pension market, a screeching u-turn on … Continue reading
Posted in Consumers, Cost of Living, Costs, Economics Observatory, Employment, Government, Inflation, Pricing
Tagged Consumers, Cost of Living, Costs, Crisis, Economy, Employment, Energy, Government, Inflation, Prices, Retail, Special Fiscal event, spending
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Are Retailers Social Engineers?
A few months ago, we published our report for Food Standards Scotland (FSS) entitled “Identifying and Understanding the Factors that can Transform the Retail Environment to Enable Healthier Purchasing by Consumers”. The report and various summaries along with our brief … Continue reading
Posted in Community Grocer, Consumer Lifestyle, Consumers, Convenience stores, Cross Party Group, Deposit Return Scheme, Diet and Health, Food, Food Retailing, Food Standards, Health, Healthcare Retail Standard, Healthy Living, Independents, Local Retailers, Restaurants, Retail Change, Retailers, Scotland Food and Drink, Scottish Grocers Federation, Small Shops, Social Inequality, Social Justice, Sugar Tax, Waste
Tagged Consumers, Cross Party Group, Deposit Return Scheme, Diet and Health, Food Standards Scotland, Healthcare Retail Standard, Healthy Living, Nanny State, Placement, Prices, Promotion, Scottish Government, Scottish Grocers Federation, Super-sizing
7 Comments
Co-operative Tokens, Sports Direct and The Bristol Pound
A little while ago I put up the photograph above on Twitter of three Co-operative Society tokens I had found; in this case from the Pontycymmer Industrial and Co-operative Society for a large loaf and one pint and a half … Continue reading
Posted in Bristol Pound, Community Co-operatives, Cooperative Tokens, Cooperatives, Food Retailing, History, Local Currency, Local Multiplier, Localisation, Places, Retail Change, Sports Direct
Tagged Bristol Pound, Co-operatives, Consumer Cooperatives, Dividend, History, Local Currencies, Pontycymmer, Prices, Sports Direct, Tokens
12 Comments
The ‘squeezed middle’ and the domino effect in the grocery supply chain
A popular phrase used in media and other commentary on the UK grocery system is that “Small firms are being ‘squeezed’ by their powerful partners“. This is shorthand for financial pressures put on SMEs by large organisations such as grocery … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Brexit, Food Retailing, Governance, Networks, Pressure, Regulation, Relationships, Retailers, Suppliers, Supply Chains, Sustainability, Toblerone
Tagged Grocery, manufacturers, Pressures, Prices, Profit, Relationships, Retailers, Suppliers, Supply chains
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Plastic Bags, Referenda and Retail Prices
I’ve just come off the radio after doing a short piece on the John Beattie Radio Scotland show about the introduction of carrier bag charging in Scotland. Some three and a bit years after I wrote about this, the Scottish … Continue reading
Posted in Campaigns, Government, John Lewis Partnership, London, Plastic Bags, Pricing, Retailers, Waitrose
Tagged Independance, Plastic bags, Prices, Retail, Retailers, Scotland
2 Comments
The A to W of Scottish Food Retailing
Today sees the opening of the 4th Waitrose store in Scotland and the largest so far. The fourth store, at Newton Mearns represents another step forward for the company in Scotland and further competition for retailers already in the market. … Continue reading
Posted in Brands, Food Retailing, Market Shares, Retail Economy
Tagged Aldi, Brands, Food retailing, Market share, Prices, Quality, Waitrose
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