GE leads deal to buy Iberdrola wind farm
IBERDROLA, the owner of ScottishPower, is selling its French wind farm business to a consortium led by American industrial giant General Electric for about €400 million (£326.4m) in its drive to cut...
View ArticleScots urged to get out and about by bike
Transport minister Keith Brown has urged Scots to embrace pedal power in 2013.Mr Brown said he was looking forward to getting on his bike more in the coming 12 months and called on others to follow his...
View Article10% surge in start-ups
The number of start-up businesses was up by almost 10 per cent in 2012, according to initial figures revealed by a national enterprise campaign.StartUp Britain said 484,224 businesses were started last...
View ArticleIntern programme unveils overseas expansion plans
ADOPT an Intern is preparing for international expansion after two years in which the scheme has successfully led to full-time employment for two-thirds of participating graduates.The programme, which...
View ArticleA potential black cloud on the farming horizon is further problems with the euro
With one or two exceptions, commodity values are as high as they have ever been but a leading firm of agricultural consultants predicts that there has been a massive fall in farm incomes in the past...
View ArticleBridging loans ‘to increasingly fill funding gap’
GROWTH in the mainstream mortgage market in 2013 will be eclipsed by the expansion in lending from alternative sources, according to a poll of financial intermediaries.Mortgage intermediaries forecast...
View ArticleG101 chain ‘satisfied’ as turnover rises amid slight profits dip
CONVENIENCE store chain G101 Off Sales reported that it was “satisfied” with a small increase in turnover but a slight fall off in profits last year. The company, which is owned by George and Cynthia...
View ArticleLovina Roe: Cheap TV packages are subsidised by sex channels
DID you know that if you have a tv/phone/broadband package that you are contributing to the profits of the makers and distributers of pornographic material? No? Neither did I until two years ago.I...
View ArticleMartin Flanagan: Sigh of relief as US steps back from cliff’s edge
CONFUSED? Understandable, so is America. The US slid over the fiscal cliff at midnight on Hogmanay – sort of. But, as we go to press, the country seems to have kept a reasonably good grip on a tree...
View ArticleMartin Flanagan: It’s an uphill struggle to get lending flowing once more
FEW in the City or business world expect the taps to be suddenly turned on in 2013 for a flood of new lending to corporates, small businesses and households after a bleak backdrop for credit last...
View ArticleOnline battle hots up as retailers aim for bigger slice of web pie
Online retailers are expecting to grow sales further in 2013, despite bitter competition, research published today shows. A survey by Royal Mail of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) involved in...
View ArticleWeir sells liquid gas division for £23m
Engineering firm Weir Group has sold its liquid gas division, LGE Process, to Babcock International for £23 million.LGE is based at the Heriot-Watt University Research Park in Edinburgh. It designs and...
View ArticleBusiness surveys paint brighter picture for year ahead as confidence returns
A RAFT of business surveys published today suggests that confidence levels are building with the threat of a “triple-dip” recession receding as the new year unfolds.A poll of more than 1,300 business...
View ArticleMML snaps up £16m stake in Instant
PRIVATE equity firm MML Capital Partners has paid £16 million for a minority stake in office rental specialist Instant, which is planning to use the investment to help meet its expansion goals.Instant,...
View ArticleMarkets: Investors get renewed taste for risk
SUPERMARKET chains Morrisons and Sainsbury’s were among the few blue-chip stocks to miss out on yesterday’s market rally amid speculation that they had fared badly in the battle for Christmas...
View ArticleSplit retail and casino banks to cut fees, urges think-tank
A STARK split of retail and investment banking rather than mere “ring-fencing” would help cut customer fees and charges, a top think-tank claimed yesterday.The Institute for Public Policy Research...
View ArticleFewer expect euro drop-out
Far fewer investors now believe a member of the eurozone will be forced to abandon the currency over the next year.A poll of 778 investors by research group Sentix last month showed that 25 per cent...
View ArticleFTSE reaches 6,000 mark as markets rebound on ‘fiscal cliff’ news
A RALLY across world markets swept the FTSE 100 index above the 6,000 mark yesterday amid relief that US politicians had signed a deal to avert the “fiscal cliff”.Britain’s top share index, which had...
View ArticleHigh street hopes rise as sales are up 13% at John Lewis
JOHN LEWIS has lifted hopes of a buoyant festive period for retailers after reporting a 13 per cent rise in like-for-like sales.In the first Christmas trading update from the sector, the department...
View ArticleTSG secures British Cycling IT contract
TECHNOLOGY firm TSG has secured a contract to provide IT support to the cycling governing body in the UK.British Cycling, which last week saw a successful year on the roads and track capped off with...
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