Retailing in Scotland’s towns and cities deserves more care and attention

Concern has grown in Scotland, as elsewhere, over the state of our town centres and our high streets, affected as they are by structural changes in economy and society and the impact of the recession. Leigh Sparks summarises research into the significance of retail vacancy and the degree of variability between different towns and cities

Settling for second best?: Reflections after the tenth anniversary of Wal-Mart's entry to the United Kingdom

Purpose - This paper evaluates the comparative progress of Asda in the UK since its surprise takeover by Wal-Mart in 1999. Wal-Mart expected to become the #1 retailer in the UK and many commentators saw massive problems ahead for local retailers. These expectations were not met; this paper investigates why. Design/Methodology/Approach - Asda’s progress is considered through a brief discussion of the company’s history to 1999, an investigation of the changes Wal-Mart subsequently made to Asda’s operations, the comparative impact of these changes and then a consideration of the restrictions on impact deriving from organisational, competitive and environmental factors. Findings - Despite the strong rhetoric on entry, the commercial reality has seen only moderate success for Asda, and a widening gap to the market leader, Tesco. Explanation for this includes competitive strategy and reactions, market restrictions particularly in land-use planning, and unwillingness by Asda (Wal-Mart) to alter their focused store format strategy in line with competitor actions and market directions. Research Limitations/Implications - The analysis is at a macro corporate and national level, drawing mainly on published data. Research implications include the rebalancing of considerations of organisational competence and market environment factors on international success. A focus on political and non-market activities is suggested, though an unwillingness of companies to reconsider strategic directions is also indicted as a key factor. Practical Implications - Implications for national and international strategic decision making at the corporate and governmental levels are identified. Businesses can use the findings to re-consider their positioning and actions. Reflections on hyperbolic reactions to takeovers might also be provoked. Originality/Value - No other paper has considered the market level changes in connection with Asda since its take-over by Wal-Mart and sought explanations for the relative (lack of) performance. The conclusion, that Asda has not been as successful as reported in the literature and the media, is original

Supply chain management and retailing

Retailers are now the dominant partners in most supply systems and have used their positions to re-engineer operations and partnerships with suppliers and other logistic service providers. No longer are retailers the passive recipients of manufacturer allocations, but instead are the active channel controllers organizing supply in anticipation of, and reaction to consumer demand. This paper reflects on the ongoing transformation of retail supply chains and logistics. If considers this transformation through an examination of the fashion, grocery and selected other retail supply chains, drawing on practical illustrations. Current and future challenges are then discussed

Research Study on the Effectiveness of NPPG8: Town Centres and Retailing - Full Report of Findings (CBRE, University of Stirling, Colin Buchanan and Partners)

First paragraph: In October 1998 a revised form of central government guidance on Town Centres and Retailing (NPPG8) was issued by the Scottish Office Development Department. This national planning policy guideline has now been operative for five years.  Following the formation of the Scottish Executive the Development Department has taken a continued interest in the application of national planning policy including that for retailing & town centres. In Autumn 2002 the Scottish Executive hosted a retail seminar to assess the need for updated research on the effectiveness of the policy. In December 2002 the Scottish Executive Development Department issued a brief to consultants

Britain's ruthless High Street leaves no room for stragglers like BHS

First paragraph: Department store BHS has gone into administration after failing to find a buyer. It is a worrying time for more than 10,000 employees and could be viewed as another piece of evidence that the UK high street is in terminal decline. Retailers have been battered by the onslaught of changing consumer patterns, online retailing and out-of-town shopping. There are grains of truth in this, but at its core, this is a tale of a business being out-competed by smarter, nimbler rivals over a number of years.https://theconversation.com/britains-ruthless-high-street-leaves-no-room-for-stragglers-like-bhs-5834

What is going on at Tesco?

First paragraph: Tesco boss Dave Lewis’ big shake-up of the struggling supermarket has hit the company balance sheet. The company reported a pre-tax loss for the year of £6.4 billion – one of the biggest in UK corporate history.https://theconversation.com/what-is-going-on-at-tesco-4067

’Tis the season to spend, spend, spend ... or so retailers would have us think

First paragraph: Advent – the season of preparing for Christmas – has only just begun. But the build up to the consumption bonanza that Christmas has come to represent, started weeks ago. And to give retailers a December boost as they enter the holiday home straight, there’s now Black Friday and Cyber Monday to get and keep us spending. Access this article on The Conversation website: https://theconversation.com/tis-the-season-to-spend-spend-spend-or-so-retailers-would-have-us-think-3488

Protein-related Knowledge, Perceptions, Sources of Information, and Behaviors Among College-Age Males

The objective of this study was to describe thoughts, knowledge, and dietary practices with regard to protein, and how these factors related to current recommendations among college-age males. A convenience sample of non-athlete college-age males (n=47), ages 18-24 years, completed 7 day dietary records (analyzed using NDSR), accelerometer assessments, anthropometric assessments (height, weight, waist circumference, and Bod Pod), and a brief semi-structured interview on protein knowledge and behaviors. Participants were grouped according to protein intake with 15% consuming less than 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (g/kg/d), 70% consuming 0.8-1.99 g/kg/d, and 15% consuming ≥2 g/kg/d. Overall, 98% fell within the acceptable macronutrient distribution range of protein. Food sources of protein included chicken and a variety of other meats. Participants were involved in an average of 122.57 ± 116.31 minutes of physical activity per week. Primary sources of information about protein included the internet, specifically body building websites, and, word of mouth. Twenty-five percent of the sample thought they needed “at least one gram of protein per pound” of body weight. The other 75% of the population did not mention a specific amount of protein they thought they should be consuming. Based on data from this research study, non-athlete college-age males were largely misinformed on protein needs and received their information from unreliable sources including word of mouth and the internet. Contradictions were found between two primary recommendations for protein intake (acceptable macronutrient distribution range versus the Recommended Dietary Allowance). For some of the participants, whether they were found to be consuming appropriate amounts of protein differed by which recommendation system was used in analysis. These conflicting recommendations could result in confusion between professionals and individuals in interpreting protein needs and adequacy

Extending the retail brand: the influence of customer loyalty towards the private label and towards the retailer

The paper investigates the influence that customer loyalty towards the private label and towards the retailer exerts on the purchase of non-traditional products and services (NTPS) offered by grocery retailers through their private label. Two-hundred and forty UK retail customers completed a questionnaire. Data were processed applying a binary logistic regression, using the buying of at least one NTPS as the dependent variable (1= buy; 0= No buy). Results show that cognitive loyalty to the private label and behavioural loyalty to the retailer positively predict the buying of NTPS, cognitive loyalty to the retailer brand plays a negative predictive role and behavioural loyalty to the private label is not significant

Weaving New Retail and Consumer Landscapes in the Scottish Borders

New retail locations and formats and changing consumer capabilities and behaviours (including ‘switching’) have encouraged “outshopping” from rural to urban areas. Rural areas have been suffering from a decline in the provision of services, including retailing. One ‘solution’ has been the strengthening of market towns in rural areas by the development of new major retail stores. The effects of this are perhaps not fully understood, particularly where the rural area comprises a network of towns rather than a single centre. Three comparable consumer surveys (1988, 1998, 2004) of shopping behaviour in the Scottish Borders are analysed. Consumer place and store switching data are used to examine the impact of new retail opportunities on shopping patterns. Two different switching strands are identified: clawback and redistribution. Redistribution within the rural network is a new finding