Energy fund offers £103m ‘vital catalyst’ funding for renewables
THE LAUNCH of a £103 million renewable energy fund has been described as a “vital catalyst” in attracting private investment into green projects north of the Border.Backers of the fund, which was...
View ArticleScottish Business Briefing – Thursday 11 October, 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. ECONOMICSFrom high street to factory floor to...
View ArticleBurberry’s sales growth slows
Fashion house Burberry saw its once stellar sales growth almost disappear in the last quarter as the negative economic climate took its toll on wealthy shoppers.But shares in the firm jumped more than...
View ArticlePeer-to-peer lending rises as bank confidence plummets
Until recently, they said it would never be taken seriously in the UK, but the popularity of the peer-to-peer lending market has proved them wrong.The sector, which allows individuals to bypass the...
View ArticleSausage roll slowdown sees Greggs hit by austerity’s effect on consumers
AUSTERITY Britain was laid bare yesterday when the country’s biggest seller of fast food revealed that underlying sales had been hit and would remain negative for the rest of the year.Greggs, which...
View ArticleSwann shocks the City as she reveals she is to quit WH Smith
SHARES in WH Smith are expected to resume their upward trajectory after analysts said the retailer would be in “safe hands” following the departure of long-serving boss Kate Swann.The group, which has...
View ArticleSmall investors hold key share as Direct Line float nets RBS £800m
THE flotation of Direct Line yesterday saw RBS raise almost £800 million and small investors secure a significant slice of the shares in the UK’s biggest initial public offering of the year.The group,...
View ArticleBarclays to end targets based on commission
Barclays is scrapping commission-based sales targets for frontline staff and will pay bonuses purely on customer satisfaction.From 1 December, all 18,000 branch and call centre staff will have no...
View ArticleSenior Scottish economist claims cuts doing more harm than good
ONE of Scotland’s senior economists has warned that the government’s austerity cuts are doing more harm than good for the UK’s long-term economic prospects.Outlining the challenges posed by the...
View ArticleCosalt’s £2m deal with Melvilles
COSALT, the marine services group, said yesterday it had now reached “full and final settlement” in a dispute which will see two Scottish businessmen pay it £2 million.The deal has brought an end to a...
View ArticleTony Kettle to head new Scottish-based architectural and design collective
THE internationally-renowned architect Tony Kettle has teamed up with two former colleagues at RMJM in a new Scottish-based venture with global ambitions.Kettle, who has masterminded a number of...
View ArticleAunt Bessie’s food group buys organic veg firm
The owner of Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire puddings has bought organic fruit and vegetable delivery firm Abel & Cole.William Jackson Food Group snapped up Abel & Cole for an undisclosed sum, although...
View ArticlePalmaris to end listing on AIM
SHARES in Palmaris Capital, whose sole investment is a stake in mining group Scottish Resources, plunged yesterday after it said it was planning to leave the AIM exchange.In a statement issued in...
View ArticleLenovo edges HP out of No.1 spot as PC giant’s struggles continues
CHINA’S Lenovo Group edged out Silicon Valley icon Hewlett-Packard to become the world’s biggest PC maker in the third quarter, according to data from research house Gartner.A rival to Gartner, IDC,...
View ArticleComment: Swann’s unlikely to be on the sidelines for long
KATE Swann’s decision to step down from WH Smith is a bit of a setback for those campaigning to get more women in Britain’s boardrooms, although it looks like she will be back running a venture of some...
View ArticleInter–Tec wins regulatory role
Prestwick-based aerospace consultancy Inter-Tec Services is moving to bigger premises and will create ten jobs after it achieved regulatory approval to certify the airworthiness of aircraft. The...
View ArticleAdair Turner warns against ‘the stability of the graveyard’
Financial Services Authority (FSA) chairman Adair Turner warned last night against building “the stability of the graveyard” when tackling financial reforms in what is viewed as his last public pitch...
View ArticleBAE warns of ‘uncertainty’ in key US markets after merger blow
Defence firm BAE Systems warned that it faces “uncertainty” in its key US market due to defence cuts, the day after its proposed merger with Airbus parent EADS collapsed.In a scheduled statement to the...
View ArticleMarkets: US jobs news offers a boosts for FTSE
ROBUST jobs data from across the Atlantic rode to the rescue of the UK market yesterday helping the benchmark FTSE 100 index to end its losing streak.The top flight, which lost ground in the first...
View ArticleFarming: Call for £5m scheme to protect plants
The UK government is being urged to support a proposal for the EU to create an annual £5 million budget for specialist plant protection products.Pesticide manufacturers are deterred from developing new...
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