Ferguson lifts top award
This year’s Ed Rainy Brown Memorial Award for services to agricultural co-operation has been presented to Bruce Ferguson, Scottish general manager for Openfield.Ferguson, pictured has been at the...
View ArticleBusiness news in brief: John Lewis | De La Rue | Taste of Edinburgh
John Lewis yesterday reported a “solid” rise in sales for the week ended 26 January despite snow disruption affecting many parts of the UK.The employee-owned retailer described the 9.8 per cent...
View ArticleIan Suttie’s firm swings into profit
THE investment company owned by one of Scotland’s richest businessmen has swung back into profit, boosted by its principal moorings subsidiary.First Tech, which is owned by Aberdeen-based oil tycoon...
View ArticleBorders Railway to lift troubled civil engineering
The number of civil engineering projects starting in Scotland hit a historic low in the three months to the end of January, new data has shown.But an industry body claims the amount of work on...
View ArticleBT lays groundwork for sports channel launch
Telecoms giant BT upped the pace of its fibre broadband roll-out in the final three months of last year, helping it accelerate customer growth by 50 per cent.The group added 122,000 broadband accounts,...
View ArticleBrace of Scots law firms post rise in their profits
TWO of Scotland’s mid-tier law firms posted rising profits yesterday as they shrugged off a dearth of big corporate deals by diversifying their work.Edinburgh-based Anderson Strathern reported a 1.5...
View ArticleCalling on the next rural generation
The Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC) has marked the start of its 75th anniversary year with a call for the next generation of rural leaders to have a bigger say in shaping the future...
View ArticleFears for unit-linked funds as watchdog launches review
INVESTORS and pension savers have more than £800 billion sitting in unit-linked funds that are being investigated amid growing fears of potential consumer detriment.Millions of people have money in the...
View ArticleMore Scots turn to Monday-to-Friday lodgers to raise cash
More Scots are taking on Monday-to-Friday lodgers in an attempt to ease the pressure on their household finances, new research has revealed.The number of rooms to rent that are available only between...
View ArticleJeff Salway: Hard-pressed savers pay a high price for failed lending scheme
OVERLOOK the fact that it’s sent savings returns plunging and done virtually nothing to help first-time buyers, and you could concede that the the Treasury’s Funding for Lending (FLS) scheme has...
View ArticleBanks targeting clients with account deals to boost revenues
BRITAIN’S high street banks are targeting consumers with cash incentives and savings deals to tie them into their current accounts even as they come under fire for failing to offer consumers enough...
View ArticleCash Q&A: How can we get out of a financial mess without losing our home?
My partner and I are homeowners and we’ve built a fair amount of loan and credit card debt. We have been juggling our finances for months now and see no light at the end of the tunnel – in fact, we...
View ArticleNew rules will make it easier to switch accounts
IT’LL BE easier than ever to switch to a new current account when new rules come into force in September.Banks and building societies will be forced to ensure that switches are completed within seven...
View ArticlePlan to get workers to give up rights in exchange for shares proves all that...
A SCHEME encouraging employees to relinquish certain rights in exchange for shares in their company gets underway in April. But the controversial plan comes with a tax promise that is far less...
View ArticleFly off to a great holiday – and not into a nightmare
Holidays can be expensive enough without having to count the extra cost when it all goes wrong.But the seeds of that disappointment are being planted now, as the travel booking season gets into full...
View ArticleThe talking goes on as more Scots than ever are hit by fuel poverty
THE growing problem of fuel poverty was top of the agenda when we met recently with the Scottish and UK governments, the big six energy companies, Ofgem and several consumer groups and charities.We...
View ArticleTen money saving tips: Retirement
SCOTS on the brink of retirement face decisions that could make all the difference to their quality of life in later life.Investment turbulence and plunging annuity rates means it’s never been more...
View ArticleConsumer helpdesk: CalMac sails into stormy weather over ferry sailings...
ISLANDERS depend on their ferry services – but they also need to know when boats are cancelled. Here, CalMac responds to a reader from Lewis who found it difficult to get up- to-date information.Q....
View ArticleDavid Lanc: Put client back in control to beat online fraudsters
YOU may be shocked to know one in four of us have suffered fraud online when we buy, borrow or transfer money. The numbers are staggering.The Home Office Identity Fraud Committee reports consumer...
View ArticleWatchdogs revved up over OFT report on fuel prices
WHAT rises like a rocket and falls like a feather?The answer is the price motorists pay for petrol and diesel – quick to rise when the wholesale price goes up but slow to fall when the wholesale price...
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