Granite City’s hotel market on a high
HOTELS in Aberdeen had a “stellar” 2012, outperforming all UK competitors except Belfast, according to the latest PwC Hotels Forecast. PwC said average UK occupancy rates fell 1.5 per cent in 2012,...
View ArticleBusiness news in brief: Quayle Munro | Equator | Baillie Gifford | Regenersis
MERCHANT Bank Quayle Munro, which last year sold its Edinburgh operation, swung back into the black during the first half of its financial year after advising on the sale of energy analysis specialist...
View ArticleBread maker Genius Foods picks director
GENIUS Foods, the fast-growing Edinburgh-based gluten-free bakery, has appointed former Warburtons and Unilever executive Liam McHugh as its manufacturing director.McHugh will oversee the development...
View ArticleVodafone McLaren F1 sponsorship deal to end
Vodafone is to end its long-running sponsorship of Formula One motor racing after announcing it will ditch its deal with McLaren at the end of the year. The telecoms giant said the move, which will...
View ArticleSkeoch urges policymakers to ‘take risk on inflation’
KEITH SKEOCH, chief executive of Standard Life Investments (SLI), said yesterday that it was “worth taking a risk” on inflation in order to get more growth into the economy.In comments that align him...
View ArticleCensus casts a cloud over Scottish farming
The release yesterday of Scottish agricultural statistics for last year confirmed both the effect of the wet autumn and also the economic pressures on the industry.Not unexpectedly, the acreage of...
View ArticleComment: Philips travelling in the right direction
YOU could argue that supermarket giant Morrisons has evolved into the classic “jam online tomorrow” company. Flippant maybe, but arguably accurate. And it’s true that the group’s falling profits,...
View ArticleUBS under fire over £17m deal
UBS sparked anger yesterday after it revealed that it had welcomed its new investment bank chief with a $26 million (£17m) pay and shares package as it looks to cut 10,000 jobs.The deal with Andrea...
View ArticleLabour plans regional banks to boost lending
A NETWORK of regional banks to promote growth by lending to local firms would be set up by a Labour government, Ed Miliband announced yesterday.The opposition leader told the British Chambers of...
View ArticleWhile figures for cereal planting are ever more stark south of the Border
while Scottish acreages were down, this week saw official confirmation of an even more dramatic 19 per cent fall in the acreage of cereals sown last autumn in England and Wales.The figures which were...
View ArticleEarly Mother’s Day boosts John Lewis sales
Department store group John Lewis today said the early arrival of Mother’s Day helped push sales up 14.3 per cent last week.The employee-owned retailer also said it was a “huge week” for electricals,...
View ArticleScottish Business Briefing - Friday 15 March, 2013
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. ECONOMICSSkeoch urges policymakers to ‘take...
View ArticleWetherspoon boss hits out at supermarket ‘benefits’
PUBS chain boss Tim Martin hit out again yesterday at the industry’s tax disadvantage compared to supermarkets.JD Wetherspoon suffered further increases in the cost of food and staff as well as utility...
View ArticleRentokil’s postal business fails to deliver
Rentokil’s core pest control business helped it beat analysts’ expectations with profits of £191 million last year, despite further losses at its parcel delivery arm.Its City Link postal business...
View ArticleWarning over farm thefts
WHILE there was little action on farms in the first two months of 2013, the light fingered brigade have been busy, with the leading rural insurer reporting a 35 per cent increase in tractor...
View ArticleArchangels lift investment
Archangels was the biggest provider of business angel funding in early stage companies in Scotland last year after raising investment from £8.75 million in 2011 to £9.5m.The Archangels syndicate...
View ArticleDevro bosses miss bonuses
DEVRO’S executive directors missed out on bonuses last year despite the company reporting rising sales and increased dividends for shareholders.Paul Neep, chairman of the Moodiesburn-based sausage skin...
View ArticleComment: Will the real Mervyn King please stand up
I’M WONDERING if there are two different Sir Mervyn Kings claiming to be governor of the Bank of England. Last November, the pessimistic Mervyn announced the UK was in for “a period of persistently low...
View ArticleNoble Grossart extols virtues of conservative accounting
MERCHANT banker Sir Angus Grossart has attacked the role played by an “endemic culture of leverage” during the financial crisis.Grossart’s comments came as the Edinburgh merchant bank he chairs...
View ArticleSpencer Dale warns of inflation threat
Policymakers must resist “dangerous” calls to shift their focus away from keeping inflation under control in a bid to stimulate growth, the Bank of England’s chief economist has warned.Spencer Dale,...
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