Insurer Bupa warns of ‘affordability crunch’ in private hospitals
Healthcare insurer Bupa has warned that a lack of competition between private hospitals is pushing up the cost of treatment and is threatening to make its policy unaffordable.As the cost of paying for...
View ArticleDCC to pay £40.5m for BP’s fuel distribution arm
Scottish Fuels owner DCC today said it has agreed to buy BP’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) distribution business for £40.5 million in cash.The Irish group, which has faced protests in the Western...
View ArticleXcite raises further £6.4m for Bentley field
Xcite Energy, the Aberdeen-based driller, has raised a further $10 million (£6.4m) of funding to develop its giant Bentley field in the North Sea.The Aim-quoted stock, one of the most highly-traded...
View ArticleParkmead completes purchase of first production wells
Parkmead, the Aim-quoted firm run by Dana Petroleum founder Tom Cross, has completed the acquisition of its first production wells, taking Cross a step closer to turning the investment vehicle into a...
View ArticleShares in Dawson International suspended
Shares in Dawson International, the Hawick-based cashmere company, were suspended this morning as its directors consider whether they need to appoint administrators for the company.The firm revealed...
View ArticleBank of England slashes growth forecast to zero as UK recession deepens
EUROPE’S debt crisis, tough austerity measures at home and tight bank lending mean Britain’s economy will grind to a halt this year, according to Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King.• Growth...
View ArticleStimulus hopes feed meagre gains
A SOLID performance from heavily-weighted mining stocks helped Britain’s top share index scrape into positive territory yesterday despite ex-dividend factors and a gloomy update from the Bank of...
View ArticleClothing chain Next targets garden centres
CLOTHING chain Next is branching out into the garden centre sector after its pilot outlet in Sussex bore fruit.Chief executive Lord Wolfson has submitted planning applications for five more sites in...
View ArticleFirms place orders closer to home
MANUFACTURERS are increasingly using local firms because of a rise in disruptions to supply chains caused by the recession and natural disasters, according to a study out today.A survey of 150 firms by...
View ArticleSir David Walker’s pay review risks a ‘mass exodus’ of bankers from Barclays
NEW Barclays chairman Sir David Walker risks “a mass exodus” of investment bankers if his review of pay for senior staff is handled clumsily, a top City headhunter warned yesterday.The comments came...
View ArticleLosing the West Coast rail franchise could be positive news for Stagecoach
STAGECOACH could emerge from the current rail franchise bidding wars with higher profits from its train division even if Sir Brian Souter’s firm loses its West Coast route to arch rival FirstGroup,...
View ArticleTravelodge mulls creditors deal amid restructuring talks
TRAVELODGE, the budget hotel group battling to avoid administration as it struggles under £500 million of debt, is understood to be weighing up a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) as part of its...
View ArticleFurther foreign expansion targeted by Scottish IT pair
TWO Scottish computing companies are targeting further international growth after one unveiled bumper profits and the other hired a big-name adviser.Aberdeen-based software firm Absoft posted a 168 per...
View ArticleLack of top quality office space will hinder cities
A LACK of top-quality office space in Edinburgh and Glasgow has helped the Scottish cities to outperform their competitors south of the Border, according to a report published today.Scotland’s two...
View ArticleEMI could be sold yet again to satisfy EU
RECORD label EMI – home to artists including Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue and KT Tunstall – could be up for sale again after new owner Universal threatened to jettison parts of the company if the European...
View ArticleLeahy and Rose back online vitamins site
THE Hut Group, the online retailer that includes former Tesco and Marks & Spencer bosses Sir Terry Leahy and Sir Stuart Rose as its backers, is to this week launch a website focused on selling...
View ArticleBritish Airways mulls American Airlines bid
British Airways parent International Airlines Group (IAG) may consider taking a stake in its Oneworld Alliance partner American Airlines, a move that could block any takeover of American by IAG rival...
View ArticleScots economy grows but UK output drops
WEAKNESS in the manufacturing sector meant growth in Scotland’s private sector economy slowed last month, avoiding the contraction that affected the UK as a whole, according to the Bank of Scotland’s...
View ArticleThe Week Ahead: Canadian weakness fails to derail Standard Life
A BUSY period for company results goes on this week with interim figures from Standard Life, Balfour Beatty and Cineworld. Edinburgh-based life assurance and pensions group Standard Life will report a...
View ArticlePwC tipped to handle Dawson administration
ACCOUNTANCY firm PwC has been tipped to be appointed as administrator at troubled Hawick-based cashmere maker Dawson International, which is struggling under its pensions burden.The firm’s shares were...
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