Investors urge Xstrata to accept revamped offer
Glencore chief executive Ivan Glasenberg’s sweetened offer for miner Xstrata will also see him take the top job at the giant new company. The Swiss commodities trader called off votes on the merger...
View ArticleLabel firm hopes US tour will bring it a new audience
FLEDGLING Edinburgh start-up UWI Technology is looking to gain further traction in the United States on a tour featuring firms with the potential to combat climate change.The company, which has...
View ArticleSainsbury banks on bagging customers with new credit cards
The Edinburgh-based banking arm of supermarket giant Sainsbury’s will step up the pressure on high street banks this week as it launches two new credit cards. Sainsbury’s Bank, a joint venture between...
View ArticleMacquarie investment will allow Mainstream to expand
Dublin-based wind farm developer Mainstream Renewable Power, which recently submitted a planning application for the £1.4 billion Neart na Gaoithe offshore project in Scotland, has been backed with a...
View ArticleActuarial centre of excellence to focus on research with benefit for businesses
Scotland has been chosen as the home of a new “centre of excellence” for actuarial science that promises to deliver research partnerships and practical applications for both businesses and...
View ArticleWest Coast line to be nationalised if franchise bid row cannot be settled
THE UK government is preparing to nationalise the West Coast rail line if Virgin’s legal challenge to losing the franchise means an operator has not been appointed by the handover date.Rival operator...
View ArticleNew scholarship project for Scots entrepreneurs
A NEW fellowship programme will enable five Scottish entrepreneurs to take part in a 15-week intensive study period at Boston-based Babson College as Fulbright Scholars next year. The Saltire...
View ArticleBusiness optimism drops to all-time low on fears of contracting economy
Optimism among UK businesses has fallen to a 20-year low, with the latest survey predicting the economy will still be contracting at the start of 2013.Accountancy firm BDO said its Optimism Index has...
View ArticleDominic Jeff: Retailers in the spotlight, but mixed picture likely
A BIG week for retail sees results from department store chain John Lewis, B&Q parent Kingfisher, chocolatier Thorntons and clothing giant Next.Next is expected to report robust profit growth in...
View ArticleBill Jamieson: Restricting VCTs will hit firms starting out
Barely a week goes past without exhortations from the government to set up in business or give support to enterprise and entrepreneurs. One way of doing this is to invest in funds that provide capital...
View ArticleInterview: Duncan Wilson, golf course developer
LESS than an hour from teeing off at Vale do Lobo, Duncan Wilson is looking to put his handicap of eight to test against the Algarve course that has twice hosted the Portuguese Open. Conditions are...
View ArticleScottish Business Briefing - Monday 10 September, 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. BANKINGRBS vows to move swiftly on lending to...
View ArticlePrimark boosts AB Foods profits
PRIMARK’S budget clothing continues to be popular with shoppers, helping owner Associated British Foods to yesterday predict its full-year profits will be “substantially ahead” of last year’s...
View ArticleM&B shares rise on hopes of stability as new chief is unveiled
PUBS group Mitchells & Butlers unveiled its fourth chief executive in three-and-a-half years yesterday, sending its shares to a six-month high.M&B said it had hired Alistair Darby, chief...
View ArticleCala refocusing pays off as group posts highest profits in 13 years
CALA, the Scottish housebuilder, has revealed its highest profits since the group was taken private in 1999.The company has benefited from a major restructuring and a focus on the premium end of the...
View ArticleGlencore sweetens revised offer for Xstrata with role for Davis
COMMODITIES trader Glencore has insisted that it will not improve the terms of its $36 billion (£22.5bn) all-share approach for Xstrata, but has proposed that the mining giant’s chief executive, Mick...
View ArticleBuilding societies could become ‘regional banks’ as sector evolves
BUILDING societies are expected to assume the role of regional banks as they capitalise on their greater reputation among the public and small businesses, according to a report.KPMG’s 22nd annual...
View ArticleDirect Line could begin flotation process this week
ROYAL Bank of Scotland is believed to be preparing to kick off the flotation of its Direct Line insurance arm within the next few days.The bank, which is 82 per cent owned by the taxpayer, has been...
View ArticleVow to slash health and safety rules is applauded
HEALTH and safety rules affecting thousands of businesses are to be swept away as part of a UK government drive to slash red tape and boost growth.From next April premises seen as low risk, such as...
View ArticleComment: Cutting the tangle of red tape is a good start
CRITICS of the government who claim that its struggling economic and business policy is responding to events rather than shaping them have obviously hit home. It is perhaps no coincidence that in...
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