@grahamsoult.bsky.social @lincsonline.bsky.social @springfields.bsky.social At last, welcome evidence-base study about #SpaldingTownCentre Town loses est £174m a year as shoppers prefer Bourne, Springfields & Peterborough | LincsOnline | 13 November 2025: premium.lincsonline.co.uk/spalding/new...

As you may have seen, I'm looking forward to delivering eight "Boosting Festive Footfall" workshops - in person across the #TeesValley, and online - over the next few weeks. The sign-up link for local businesses is at www.eventbrite.com/cc/retail-wo....

Maybe go #HighStreetPositives as @grahamsoult.bsky.social suggests: “Retail is a major employer with determined, resilient, innovative people at every level. It’s doing great stuff in challenging times and could make an even bigger contribution to your growth target given supportive policy & regs…?”

Not really my point. The BRC data show high street footfall up by 0.7% but the article and the headline (especially) is designed not to tell you that. Whether the data from varying sources differ is a different thing. It os the pushing of a narrative despite the data that riles me here

The encapsulation of Britain’s post-industrialised economy morphing into a experiential/wellness one. Visit the excellent @beamishmuseum.bsky.social, go down a 1910s mine and then luxuriate in Coal Mine bath salts from the gift shop 🧐

Proud to reopen our #Nettleham food store tomorrow after 6 months of hard work, after a fire gutted the building - the #LincsCoop team have all pulled together with a pop up shop to support the community while we’ve repaired the original store 🫶

Completely agree! How many developed markets in the world can say this? And not just for customers but also new entrant challenger suppliers: can't get listed by one grocer, try another one!

It was nice to pop up on BBC Politics North just now, and be described as "a leading retail expert"!

What a transformation for our #Horncastle funeral #LincsCoop team now relocated into a brand new £1.2m purpose built home to continue to provide outstanding care for our community 🫶

🇺🇿 I mean, once in a lifetime, amiright? Tashkent, you have been a joy… Sorry I only got to spend one free evening, but you were a beaut…

Sainsbury’s Marsh Mills. 11 sail-like panels to create a nautical canopy to honour Plymouth’s heritage. Known locally as the Sainsbury’s Opera House

The piece went online a fortnight ago, but is in print today. Here’s a gift link, if you’d like to read free: Middle-class families are choking on the £100 ‘casual meal out’ www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/96d6c66...

Waterstones in Bradford 🥰

"Anyone who is opening a business wants to be part of somewhere vibrant, supportive and on the up. I have no doubt Bishop Auckland is on the right track." Some comment from me about #BishopAuckland in @thenorthernecho.bsky.social today! www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/2549614...

St Helier, Jersey October 2025. Very nice work by Hettich in taking over Burton's Art Deco store site. Nice outside and splendid work inside. Two foundation stones. Have sent photos below to Laid By Monty for their excellent site laidbymonty.com

Bet not many of these #Cambridge students realised that Gardenia's shopfront was installed for Lennards (shoe shop) by Pollards in the late 1920s. A tad altered, but recognisable - hope it isn't now swept away!

Former C&A. Before that another outpost of the Holdron’s business.

Former M&S

Bit of Peckham Rye art deco. Former Holdron’s department store. Now a tremendous shop in its own right

You, a mere beverage simpleton: it’s squash Me, a sophisticated Aldi shopper: I think you’ll find it’s a concentrated electrolyte water enhancer…

about to go on stage at #TechConnect to talk about open source maintenance and AI. so much to say.

I am not surprised Amazon has axed its Amazon Fresh convenience stores. They just weren't very good. I wrote about them back in 2023:

"Dave, did you write the copy for the new parchment paper product" "Yup" "Did you get weird about birds again?" "..."

Blast from the past in Belfast

Sawers deli in Belfast. Going strong since 1897. Epic place.

Travelling to Darlington to speak at High Street Positives event with @vacantshopsacademy.bsky.social @grahamsoult.bsky.social and other fabulous people.

@grahamsoult.bsky.social Woolworths in Sheringham

#Topshop x John Lewis - interesting! Sounds like a canny move for both brands - JL draws in new customers, and Topshop gets to bring back its physical footprint in prime locations quickly and with limited risk. www.theguardian.com/business/202... #retail #highstreet #highstreets

"It's really important to hang on to historic traders, but at the same time, it's absolutely right that these flagship, historic buildings should have life after 4pm, bringing in people who may not have been there before." www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/2541539...

Several of my survey answers were "very poor", Waitrose, but if you want to equate that with "a great experience" so be it 🤷‍♂️

Some pleasing finds in Reigate: Knight’s department store (1883 - 2016); Freeman, Hardy & Willis; and Mead’s Wine & Beer Stores (1870s).

Love the new #SAFC #TilTheEnd mural on the back of the old M&S

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I'm not convinced someone who works at an advertising agency called "AMV BBDO" is best placed to talk about the power of effective brand names 🧐😄 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I'm delighted to be a contributor to the plgregeneration.org, led by @laurenedwardsmp.bsky.social. Whilst I am supporting the Boosting Britain's High Streets campaign, my #Hartlepool role also incorporates issues touched on in the others. Looking forward to the event on the 10th September.

The Name "Graham" is also all but dead, with a mere three newly born Grahams in England and Wales last year 😵 That puts it on a par with Hendricks (like the gin), Jaxson-John (!), and Dalton-Lee (which sounds like a shopping centre).

I'm reasonably confident that the last thing the world needs is another middle-aged man with Substack, so I've gone old skool and started blogging. If you're interested in #urbanism #highstreet #regeneration, you might find something of interest. Occasionally. mr.place/words-spoken...

Corruption at the heart of London's retail district? A small number of businesses around Piccadilly Circus appear to be "phoenixing" - whereby every time it comes to pay taxes, the owners are replaced, depriving local and national government of millions. www.londoncentric.media/p/asf-aziz-l...

Poundland used to be one of the best operators on the high street... When people ask "what went wrong", ask yourself how many clothes pegs and garden accessories are required by the good people of Camden Town, where NOBODY HAS A GARDEN

Next has opened its new #Newcastle city centre flagship in Eldon Square's ex-Debenhams this morning. So what can shoppers expect? Read my commentary at www.cannyinsights.com/2025/07/15/n.... #retail #highstreet #highstreets #shoppingcentres

On the London Overground. I’ve just asked a young guy playing loud music out of his phone to turn his music down. He asked stroppily why he should. I said because it was uncivilised. He then turned it off and said “yeah, that’s fair” I HAVE NEVER FELT SO ALIVE

A plea for #TGJones to respect and cherish the remnants of #WHSmith's early shopfitting - its wonderful tile panels, decorative leadwork, enamel hanging signs and olde-worlde shopfronts. New post, looking back at #WHSmith, here: buildingourpast.com?p=11422&prev...

Well folks, NOW is the time to buy your copy of Chain Stores! And, indeed, Woolworth’s. Bargains galore!

Couple of days in Switzerland for the ⚽️ and had a chance to see some stores. Does make me wonder how the UK socio-economy has managed to warp its relationship with food into such a mess.

Ha! It reminds me of when Currys were still trading in Nuneaton with an outdated totem sign that mentioned they sold hi-fi and video - that stayed up until 2022!

Having abandoned this app due to an inability to post photos, it turns out the reason was I had an iPhone 7. New phone, so we are rolling again. Prepare for endless tedium about shops, architecture and random football stadia

Walgreens in Key West 😍

I'm having what I consider a sensible conversation with ChatGPT. @grahamsoult.bsky.social @dresserman.bsky.social

My mum has been sorting through some old stuff, but I was more excited by the bag containing it! 😀 This one unfortunately has a hole in it, but my mum was amazed when I told her that you can normally get a tenner for something like this on eBay! 😂 #Woolworths

Brattishing! A lovely word for cresting, perhaps used mainly in Scotland?