Author: Leigh Sparks
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May 2023 – Two new articles and a book chapter noted on the Journal Articles page
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)
Top Posts & Pages
- Transformative Food Retailing, Data and Consumers
- Logistics and Retail Management 5th Edition
- A Retail Strategy for Scotland
- Journal Articles 2014
- Co-operative Tokens, Sports Direct and The Bristol Pound
- London's Welsh Dairies: The Welsh Milk Trade
- Retail Branding: it's not (just) private label
- Twenty One Years of UK Grocery Market Share
- Herkku Food Market Delicatessen – Helsinki
- Reclaim the High Street - Midsteeple Quarter, Dumfries Crowdfunder
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Tag Archives: Vacancies
Who Owns Scotland’s Towns, High Streets and Shopping Centres?
One of the issues raised in the recent report by the Economy and Fair Work Committee of the Scottish Parliament concerned the lack of transparency over the ownership of much of the property in Scotland. I noted this in the … Continue reading
Posted in Community Ownership, Dumfries, Government, High Streets, Landlords, Legislation, Local Authorities, Midsteeple Quarter, New Future for Scotland's Towns, Out of Town, Place Based Investment Programme, Retail Change, Retailers, Scotland, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scottish Government, Scottish Retailing, Shopping Centres, Streets, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Urban, Vacancies, Who Owns Scotland?
Tagged A New Future for Scotland's Towns, Absentee Owners, Community, Community enterprise, Economy and Fair Work committee, Property, Retail, Scotland, Scotland's Towns, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Streets, Tax, Tax Havens, Vacancies, Who Owns Scotland?
2 Comments
“Soaring Vacancies” : perhaps or perhaps not?
The end of last week saw headlines about the number of vacant shops in Scotland. Typical Scottish newspaper examples included: The Herald The Scotsman So, something of a downer to end the first week out of lockdown in Scotland and … Continue reading
Posted in BRC, Consumers, Covid19, Data, Independents, Local Data Company, Lockdown, Online Retailing, Pandemic, Places, Rates, Rents, Retail Change, Retailers, Scotland, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scottish Retail Consortium, Scottish Retailing, Shop Numbers, Shopping, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Vacancies
Tagged British Retail Consortium, Consumer Confidence, Consumers, Covid-19, Data, independents, Local Data Company, Lockdown, Pandemic, Retailing, Scotland, Shops, Vacancies
1 Comment
Vacancies and Store Closures
Over the last few years, vacancies and store closures have not been out of the news. Whilst vacancy levels may have dropped off from their peak a few years ago, there is a continuation of stories about the closure rates … Continue reading
Posted in Closure, Competition, Consumer Change, Government, High Streets, Local Data Company, Places, Public Realm, Retail Change, Retail Economy, Retail Failure, Retailers, Retailing, Scotland, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Scottish Retailing, Shop Numbers, Store Closures, Tax, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Vacancies
Tagged futures, High Streets, Local Data Company, Places, PwC, Rates, Retail, Scotland, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Shop Closures, Tax, Town Centres, Vacancies
2 Comments
Shops opening and expanding, queues outside: the High Street picture that’s not making the national news
I recently had an exchange with Iain Nicholson around media coverage of the high street. it followed my recent diatribe about data. I have known Iain for a few years and admired the work he has been doing in towns … Continue reading
Posted in Car Parking, Consumers, Creative Places, Government, High Streets, Independents, Local Retailers, Localisation, Oxfordshire, Places, Planning, Policy, Producers, Record stores, Retail Diversity, Retail Economy, Retailers, Small Shops, Small Towns, Spaces, town centre first, Town Centres, Towns, Vacancies
Tagged #indie, #morethanretail, Authors, Car Parking, Comics, Diversity, independents, Oxford Etsy, Oxfordshire, Planning, Positive Places, Rates, Records, Shops, town centre first, Town Centres, Town Teams, Vacancies
3 Comments
Singapore’s Scary Monsters
Back in the warmth of Singapore for our graduation and alumni events and associated student and other meetings, and there seemed to be only one question people had for me; what could be done about Singapore’s ailing retail sector? On … Continue reading
Posted in Adjacencies, Art, Brands, Corporate branding, Customer engagement, Design, Experiential, Flagship, Food and Beverage, Gentle Monster, Korea, Malls, Online Retailing, Retailers, Retailing, Shopping Centres, Singapore, Space, Vacancies
Tagged Experiential, Food and Beverage, Gentle Monster, Korea, Malls, Shopping Centres, Singapore, Space, Store Adjacencies, Sunglasses, Tourism, Vacancies
1 Comment
Business Rates: an election issue (not)
This blog has covered the issue of rates on a number of occasions (e.g. rates relief, a levy, some rates and the Grimsey report, the poll tax and business rates) never fully satisfactory, and indeed, re-reading the pieces, with a … Continue reading
Posted in Closure, Governance, Government, High Streets, Internet, Internet shopping, Large Store Levy, Mary Portas, Online Retailing, Places, Politicians, Public Health lev, Rates, Regulation, Retail Policy, Retailers, Store Closures, Tax, Town & Country PLanning, Town Centres
Tagged Business rates, Election, Government, High Streets, Local Government, Politicians, Rates, Retailers, Revaluation, Tax, Town Centres, Vacancies
5 Comments
Retail Vacancy and Structural Change in Scotland’s Towns and Cities
For the last four years, mid December has seen the release of the latest edition of the Local Data Company/University of Stirling Retail report on the situation of retailing in the major towns and cities across Scotland. Last Tuesday saw … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, Christmas, Convenience stores, Independents, Places, Rates, Retail Policy, Retailers, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Scottish Retailing, Services, Shop Numbers, Small Towns, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Living, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, University of Stirling, Vacancies
Tagged Convenience, Local Data Company, off Licences, Persistent Vacancy, Places, Rates, Retail Change, Scotland, Services, Town Centre Living, towns, Vacancies
3 Comments
Retailing in Scotland’s Largest Towns and Cities 2015
On Tuesday, ourselves at the Institute for Retail Studies, University of Stirling and the Local Data Company presented our third annual Retail Review of Scotland’s largest towns and cities. The headlines are that vacancy rates continue to fall, adjustment processes … Continue reading
Posted in Charity Shops, Churn, Competition, Government, High Streets, Local Data Company, Places, Regeneration, Reinvention, Retailers, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Services, Small Towns, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, University of Stirling, Vacancies
Tagged High Streets, Local Data Company, Retailing, Scotland, Services, Town Centres, towns, Vacancies
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Local Data Company/University of Stirling 3rd Scottish Town Centres Event
The Local Data Company/University of Stirling 3rd Scottish Retail Town Centres Event will be held on the 1st December at KPMG Offices in Edinburgh. The Town Centres Event builds on the 2013 and 2014 events and reports and will reveal … Continue reading
Posted in Academics, ESRC, High Streets, Independents, Local Data Company, Longitudinal Data, Places, Reinvention, Retailers, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Town Centres, University of Stirling, Vacancies
Tagged Local Data Company, Places, Scotland, Town Centres, University of Stirling, Vacancies
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And now, the end is near …
It’s Friday afternoon, the sun is sort of shining in Stirling and apparently the recession is almost over. I woke up this morning, turned on Radio 4 and was told that, so it must be true. Someone from NIESR had … Continue reading
Posted in Consumers, Local Data Company, Places, Retail Economy, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Vacancies
Tagged Economics, interest rates, London, Recession, Retail, spending, Vacancies
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