Subsea 7 gears up for Dundee robots
HOLLYWOOD robots like R2-D2 and C3PO from Star Wars may seem a universe away from the automated vehicles that roam the depths of the North Sea but a new show at Dundee Science Centre aims to show they...
View ArticleTax break ‘would bring massive investment to North Sea oil fields’
THE Treasury must set the right decommissioning tax breaks if the North Sea is going to successfully compete with East Africa and North America for foreign investment, oil and gas industry experts have...
View ArticleQuarter of small businesses a victim of crime
ONE in four small businesses has been a victim of crime in the past two years, costing them £883 million in total and an average of £2,500 each, according to figures out today.Vehicle break-ins and...
View ArticleTurnaround firm Endless eyeing a pizza the action
The owner of Bathstore is in exclusive talks to take control of the UK arm of restaurant chain Pizza Hut.Leeds-based turnaround specialist Endless is understood to be in discussions with Yum Brands –...
View ArticleComment: Dairy farmers win price battle, but the war is not over yet
A FORMER president of the National Farmers Union of Scotland (NFUS) once told me that dairy farmers were the only ones who would go to a protest meeting about milk prices, and then on the way home make...
View ArticleBusiness news in brief: Aviva | Brodies | Emaar Properties
Aviva, the UK’s second-largest insurance group, has received a number of unsolicited approaches from financial and private equity buyers for a US unit estimated to be worth some £1 billion.It is...
View ArticleRyanair profits hit by higher fuel costs
Budget airline Ryanair today said a surge in fuel prices was behind a 29 per cent drop in first-quarter profits.The group also said it was braced for a difficult winter as austerity measures and the...
View ArticleScottish Business Briefing - Monday July 20, 2012
WELCOME to scotsman.com’s Scottish Business Briefing. Every morning we bring you a comprehensive round-up of all news affecting business in Scotland today. ENERGY & UTILITIESBarclays backs...
View ArticleHSBC sets aside $2bn to cover mis-selling and money laundering costs
Banking group HSBC today said it has set aside $1.3 billion (£828 million) in compensation for UK customers and a further $700m to cover fines from US authorities.The news came as the group, which was...
View ArticleJJB names former La Senza boss as interim chief
Struggling retailer JJB Sports today appointed Beverley Williams as its interim chief executive following the departure of Keith Jones on Friday.Williams has 25 years’ experience in the retail...
View ArticleExpansion deal for Glasgow-based ClinTec
CLINTEC, the Glasgow-based clinical research group, is expanding into Malawi following a deal with a major drugs company.The unnamed pharmaceutical group has chosen ClinTec, which now carries out...
View ArticleBit of a blow for Reckitt Benckiser
FEWER cases of colds and flu hit sales of Reckitt Benckiser in Europe and North America in the first half of the year, the com–pany revealed yesterday.The cleaning products and drugs giant, also behind...
View ArticleStewart Milne timber limber
THe timber building arm of housebuilder Stewart Milne yesterday said it had secured more than £6 million in contracts throughout the UK.It said the latest agreements, to supply and erect timber build...
View ArticleLack of confidence rains on summer retail parade
FURTHER gloom descended on the high street yesterday after the CBI reported weaker-than-expected growth in recent weeks, denting hopes of a wider economic recovery.Releasing its regular distributive...
View ArticleChevrolet sign seven-year sponsorship deal with Manchester United
Manchester United has announced a seven-year shirt sponsorship deal with US car brand Chevrolet.The General Motors brand will become only the fifth shirt sponsor in the club’s 134-year history when the...
View ArticleFSA official looks at how to repair damage to Libor
THE UK government has set out the terms for a revamp of Libor, the inter-bank lending rate, that was rigged by a number of banks.The review will be conducted by Martin Wheatley, a top official at the...
View ArticleBasso throws Ethel Austin a lifeline
BUDGET fashion chain Ethel Austin will live on after a fashion importer bought 32 stores from administrators.Earlier this month, it went into administration for the fourth time in as many years.Mike...
View ArticleLadbrokes continues to struggle on with digital
LADBROKES yesterday said that the director in charge of its IT strategy had been relieved of his duties as the bookmaker prepares to unveil a slump in profits at its digital division.The company said...
View ArticleInnovations push Borders-based Oregon Timber Frame into black
New products and services and a series of “efficiency measures” have helped push Borders-based Oregon Timber Frame back into the black.Annual accounts for the timber frame manufacturer show that it...
View ArticleIndustry watchers at odds over effect of fees changes at Brewin Dolphin
WEALTH manager Brewin Dolphin has reported a loss of customers as a result of its shift to a fee-paying model ahead of new rules affecting the industry next year.The firm said its assets under...
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