Graham Soult FIPM
@grahamsoult.bsky.social
Retail Cupid 💘, high street champion, Fellow of the Institute of Place Management (IPM), Durham Business Group chairman. BBC: "The North East's best-known retail expert". Učim se slovenščino! https://www.cannyinsights.com/
I've lots of case study material already, but am keen to use these sessions as an opportunity to celebrate and showcase examples of creative retailers and places that I might not be aware of yet - perhaps where something authentic and local is being held as an antidote to Black Friday, for instance.
November 11, 2025 at 2:51 PM
I've lots of case study material already, but am keen to use these sessions as an opportunity to celebrate and showcase examples of creative retailers and places that I might not be aware of yet - perhaps where something authentic and local is being held as an antidote to Black Friday, for instance.
It was nice to pop up on BBC Politics North just now, and be described as "a leading retail expert"!
October 19, 2025 at 9:31 AM
It was nice to pop up on BBC Politics North just now, and be described as "a leading retail expert"!
The #Peterborough store (also a former M&S, snapped by me here in 2018) shows that B&M is capable of a more tasteful approach to signage when it wants!
October 18, 2025 at 9:27 AM
The #Peterborough store (also a former M&S, snapped by me here in 2018) shows that B&M is capable of a more tasteful approach to signage when it wants!
Several of my survey answers were "very poor", Waitrose, but if you want to equate that with "a great experience" so be it 🤷♂️
August 26, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Several of my survey answers were "very poor", Waitrose, but if you want to equate that with "a great experience" so be it 🤷♂️
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...
August 3, 2025 at 4:41 AM
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...
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
Read my commentary at www.cannyinsights.com/2025/07/15/n....
#retail #highstreet #highstreets #shoppingcentres
July 15, 2025 at 10:19 AM
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
Read my commentary at www.cannyinsights.com/2025/07/15/n....
#retail #highstreet #highstreets #shoppingcentres
#Ramsgate is a particularly impressive Wetherspoons - I enjoyed my 2022 visit! And amid all the other opinions that people have about the business, Spoons deserves credit for bringing beautiful old buildings like this one back into active use. Who would have ever restored it otherwise?
July 2, 2025 at 6:58 AM
#Ramsgate is a particularly impressive Wetherspoons - I enjoyed my 2022 visit! And amid all the other opinions that people have about the business, Spoons deserves credit for bringing beautiful old buildings like this one back into active use. Who would have ever restored it otherwise?
Oh, now my mum is on a roll! #Allsports
June 28, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Oh, now my mum is on a roll! #Allsports
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
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
June 28, 2025 at 8:56 AM
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
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
I do always find it comedic how, in 2025, there are still B&Bs promoting the presence of "colour TVs" as a selling point 😆📺
June 18, 2025 at 8:31 PM
I do always find it comedic how, in 2025, there are still B&Bs promoting the presence of "colour TVs" as a selling point 😆📺
Minding my own business in a half empty Wetherspoons, and a person bellowing into their phone comes and sits at the *next table*.
Still, it's not as bad as the chap at Chippenham Spoons years ago, who sat at *my* table, began reading the Argos catalogue, and blew his nose on my used napkin 🤷♂️
Still, it's not as bad as the chap at Chippenham Spoons years ago, who sat at *my* table, began reading the Argos catalogue, and blew his nose on my used napkin 🤷♂️
June 5, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Minding my own business in a half empty Wetherspoons, and a person bellowing into their phone comes and sits at the *next table*.
Still, it's not as bad as the chap at Chippenham Spoons years ago, who sat at *my* table, began reading the Argos catalogue, and blew his nose on my used napkin 🤷♂️
Still, it's not as bad as the chap at Chippenham Spoons years ago, who sat at *my* table, began reading the Argos catalogue, and blew his nose on my used napkin 🤷♂️
Absolutely! Especially in a local authority area like #Sunderland, where getting on for a third of households don't have a car. www.ons.gov.uk/census/maps/...
June 4, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Absolutely! Especially in a local authority area like #Sunderland, where getting on for a third of households don't have a car. www.ons.gov.uk/census/maps/...
What a pleasure to interview North East Mayor @kimmcguinness.bsky.social live on stage at Durham Business Club yesterday evening!
Kim was delightful, interesting and passionate as usual, and people seemed to think I did a decent job of channelling my inner Parky 🎤😄
Kim was delightful, interesting and passionate as usual, and people seemed to think I did a decent job of channelling my inner Parky 🎤😄
May 14, 2025 at 8:12 AM
What a pleasure to interview North East Mayor @kimmcguinness.bsky.social live on stage at Durham Business Club yesterday evening!
Kim was delightful, interesting and passionate as usual, and people seemed to think I did a decent job of channelling my inner Parky 🎤😄
Kim was delightful, interesting and passionate as usual, and people seemed to think I did a decent job of channelling my inner Parky 🎤😄
Most people visit #Oxford for the dreaming spires, whereas I get excited about an abandoned shopping centre (on the site of a former Woolworths, for extra brownie points!)
May 3, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Most people visit #Oxford for the dreaming spires, whereas I get excited about an abandoned shopping centre (on the site of a former Woolworths, for extra brownie points!)
Can anyone help? I used to love tracking my travel in
Google's "Your timeline" via my phone, and being able to view a map of places visited, like below.
However, "Your timeline" is no longer available in web browsers. So is there a way to still see a map like this or not? 🧐
Google's "Your timeline" via my phone, and being able to view a map of places visited, like below.
However, "Your timeline" is no longer available in web browsers. So is there a way to still see a map like this or not? 🧐
April 10, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Can anyone help? I used to love tracking my travel in
Google's "Your timeline" via my phone, and being able to view a map of places visited, like below.
However, "Your timeline" is no longer available in web browsers. So is there a way to still see a map like this or not? 🧐
Google's "Your timeline" via my phone, and being able to view a map of places visited, like below.
However, "Your timeline" is no longer available in web browsers. So is there a way to still see a map like this or not? 🧐
Indeed! Work on the new Eldon Square Next store (ex-Debenhams) seems to be progressing (pic from January here).
Re. Alnwick, I'm not exactly thrilled at the amount of out-of-town development going on, though I recognise that Next would most likely not be trading in the town otherwise!
Re. Alnwick, I'm not exactly thrilled at the amount of out-of-town development going on, though I recognise that Next would most likely not be trading in the town otherwise!
April 7, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Indeed! Work on the new Eldon Square Next store (ex-Debenhams) seems to be progressing (pic from January here).
Re. Alnwick, I'm not exactly thrilled at the amount of out-of-town development going on, though I recognise that Next would most likely not be trading in the town otherwise!
Re. Alnwick, I'm not exactly thrilled at the amount of out-of-town development going on, though I recognise that Next would most likely not be trading in the town otherwise!
@hackiedj.bsky.social Hello Steve! Thanks for the repost. I was thinking about you last week, when I discovered that this building at 17 Silver Street in #Durham was previously (c.1980s) a branch of Hepworths.
Some people think it was Next later, but others disagree. Have you got any intell? 👀
Some people think it was Next later, but others disagree. Have you got any intell? 👀
April 1, 2025 at 11:45 AM
@hackiedj.bsky.social Hello Steve! Thanks for the repost. I was thinking about you last week, when I discovered that this building at 17 Silver Street in #Durham was previously (c.1980s) a branch of Hepworths.
Some people think it was Next later, but others disagree. Have you got any intell? 👀
Some people think it was Next later, but others disagree. Have you got any intell? 👀
Keynote speaking on #retail and #highstreet themes is something I've done quite often before, but am still keen to do more of.
So, I was pleased and honoured to be invited to be listed at speaker bureau Specialist Speakers, among quite the Who's Who of famous names!
#speaker #keynotespeaker
So, I was pleased and honoured to be invited to be listed at speaker bureau Specialist Speakers, among quite the Who's Who of famous names!
#speaker #keynotespeaker
March 20, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Keynote speaking on #retail and #highstreet themes is something I've done quite often before, but am still keen to do more of.
So, I was pleased and honoured to be invited to be listed at speaker bureau Specialist Speakers, among quite the Who's Who of famous names!
#speaker #keynotespeaker
So, I was pleased and honoured to be invited to be listed at speaker bureau Specialist Speakers, among quite the Who's Who of famous names!
#speaker #keynotespeaker
Pleased to say I made it to a Lincolnshire Co-op store for the first time earlier this week - it was good! Not sure why, but the regional Co-op stores do often seem brighter, less cluttered and generally easier to shop than the Group ones.
March 20, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Pleased to say I made it to a Lincolnshire Co-op store for the first time earlier this week - it was good! Not sure why, but the regional Co-op stores do often seem brighter, less cluttered and generally easier to shop than the Group ones.
Time for a quick turn around #Nottingham between trains. I'd forgotten quite what a good-looking city it is, and even though vacancy there is high, Lister Gate is already better with the bulk of Broadmarsh gone and a green connection to the railway station created instead.
March 17, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Time for a quick turn around #Nottingham between trains. I'd forgotten quite what a good-looking city it is, and even though vacancy there is high, Lister Gate is already better with the bulk of Broadmarsh gone and a green connection to the railway station created instead.
And snapped by me back in 2012! #Portobello #Edinburgh
March 17, 2025 at 10:37 AM
And snapped by me back in 2012! #Portobello #Edinburgh
My Woolworths database is never standing still! It would take a lot of change for Poundland to give up its status as the retailer occupying most former Woolworths, though.
From my #Woolies15 report, here's a reminder of how things looked as of January 2023 👇
From my #Woolies15 report, here's a reminder of how things looked as of January 2023 👇
March 6, 2025 at 1:39 PM
My Woolworths database is never standing still! It would take a lot of change for Poundland to give up its status as the retailer occupying most former Woolworths, though.
From my #Woolies15 report, here's a reminder of how things looked as of January 2023 👇
From my #Woolies15 report, here's a reminder of how things looked as of January 2023 👇
It was good to head back to the recently opened 3 of Cups café in #Durham's North Road this afternoon!
It's remarkable how many visits TikTok is driving, and the way owners Lindsey and Bernie have transformed an old William Hill into a warm and inclusive space is impressive 👌
It's remarkable how many visits TikTok is driving, and the way owners Lindsey and Bernie have transformed an old William Hill into a warm and inclusive space is impressive 👌
March 4, 2025 at 5:30 PM
It was good to head back to the recently opened 3 of Cups café in #Durham's North Road this afternoon!
It's remarkable how many visits TikTok is driving, and the way owners Lindsey and Bernie have transformed an old William Hill into a warm and inclusive space is impressive 👌
It's remarkable how many visits TikTok is driving, and the way owners Lindsey and Bernie have transformed an old William Hill into a warm and inclusive space is impressive 👌
I can't believe there's anyone left who hasn't seen it, but it was good to spot Channel 5 repeating "Inside Greggs: 24/7" (again) last night.
From 28 minutes in there's about five minutes of me talking to Grace Dent about Greggs' history and values!
www.channel5.com/show/inside-...
#retail
From 28 minutes in there's about five minutes of me talking to Grace Dent about Greggs' history and values!
www.channel5.com/show/inside-...
#retail
March 3, 2025 at 2:56 PM
I can't believe there's anyone left who hasn't seen it, but it was good to spot Channel 5 repeating "Inside Greggs: 24/7" (again) last night.
From 28 minutes in there's about five minutes of me talking to Grace Dent about Greggs' history and values!
www.channel5.com/show/inside-...
#retail
From 28 minutes in there's about five minutes of me talking to Grace Dent about Greggs' history and values!
www.channel5.com/show/inside-...
#retail