Lack of vision in North Sea ‘costs billions’
BRITAIN is missing out on billions of pounds in tax revenues from the oil and gas sector because of “Jurassic” working practices and a lack of strategic thinking, the head of an Aberdeen-based...
View ArticleBill Jamieson: GDP shows Scotland falling behind
FOR an economy tipped to be on the brink of an unprecedented triple-dip recession, Scotland’s GDP numbers for the third quarter of last year triggered an unusually sanguine response.We may still have...
View ArticleKrispy Kreme spots hole in Edinburgh market
DOUGHNUT chain Krispy Kreme UK, which is due to open its first Scottish outlet in Edinburgh this month, is eyeing further expansion north of the Border in a move that could create at least 200 jobs.The...
View ArticleComment: Bank bonuses highlight greed culture
BARCLAYS chief executive Antony Jenkins is the latest banking boss to waive his bonus. Quite right, given the catalogue of scandals and investigations surrounding his bank.His decision follows that of...
View ArticleProcurement guru McClelland to chair hub company
JOHN McClelland, author of a hard-hitting report into public sector procurement, is to chair a body that will spend £600 million on infrastructure.The South-West Hub Company – one of five “hubs”...
View ArticlePeople: Beware – Nucleus is on the prowl
DAVID Ferguson, head of wrap investment company Nucleus Financial, isn’t afraid of giving a drubbing on Twitter to those he dubs as “legacy owned platforms”.So, he is probably more please to have lured...
View ArticleAndrew Arbuckle: Why our next generation will never want for awareness
IT WAS a pretty august gathering that sat down on Saturday night in the august setting of the Cameron House Hotel on Loch Lomondside at a gala dinner to celebrate the first 75 years of the Scottish...
View ArticleMobile network EE could be set for £10bn flotation
Mobile phone company EE looks set to float in London this year, as its French and German owners take advantage of the buoyant stock market.Britain’s biggest mobile service provider, formerly known as...
View ArticleLaw firms eating into savings after partners saw earnings fall last year
Scottish legal practices used up most of their cash reserves last year after average profits per partner fell back to 2010 levels.The Law Society of Scotland says solicitors are facing “tough” trading...
View ArticleSpending on high street ‘in two halves’
Retailers suffered a “month of two halves” in January as a strong start to the year petered out, leaving high street sales growth flat, a report published today has found.Overall, like-for-like sales...
View ArticleBusiness briefs: RBS seeks end of Rainbow with sale | Global Energy Group |...
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is set to float the 316 branches it is being forced to divest by the European Commission after failing to find a straight buyer for the business.The branches, with more...
View ArticleInterview: Richard Cheshire, joint MD of Krispy Kreme
Richard Cheshire is in an upbeat mood as he arrives in Edinburgh to check on preparations for the first Krispy Kreme store in Scotland, writes Gareth Mackie.The doughnut retailer has had a presence in...
View ArticleScott shoots for £5m film fundraiser
FILM director Ridley Scott is looking to raise £5 million to fund six UK-made, low-budget horror and suspense thrillers.The director of films including Alien, Blade Runner and Prometheus, has partnered...
View ArticleComment: Stocks merry–go–round may lead us forward
Onwards and upwards: just when cautious counsels like me were warning of a stock market correction after a barnstorming start to the year, the FTSE-100 surged another 1 per cent last week to hit...
View ArticleCity braced for lower profits as BP and GSK try to put troubles behind them
OIL giant BP and multinational drugs company GlaxoSmith-Kline are among the big hitters publishing results this week.The City is braced for a 34 per cent fall in quarterly profits at BP, to around £2...
View ArticleSkyscanner takes battle for flight search ascendancy to its US rival
SKYSCANNER has unveiled plans to take on the giant US flight search market when it opens an office in Miami, Florida, this year.The new office, which will make a third and final global hub for the...
View ArticleMacRoberts extends reach into north east
SCOTS Law firm MacRoberts is expanding into the north east by opening an office in Dundee. Managing partner Craig Turnbull said the firm was encouraged by the rise in economic activity in Dundee,...
View ArticleLending rise as banks ease up on deleveraging
Lending to households and businesses is likely to grow in 2013 as a “healthier” banking sector finally stops deleveraging, according to Ernst & Young’s Item Club.It says the contraction in bank...
View ArticleClyde Gateway races towards Games in 2014 with £250m development work
Clyde Gateway, the company responsible for Scotland’s biggest regeneration project in Glasgow’s East End, has outlined plans for £250 million worth of construction and development this year.The work...
View ArticleMurgitroyd to focus on costs as profits rise 3%
Glasgow-based patent specialist Murgitroyd has reported a 3 per cent increase in first-half profits and said its “key focus” for the rest of the year would be to keep costs under control. The firm...
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