Christmas hi-tech sales should boost Wolfson
WOLFSON chief executive Mike Hickey believes the Edinburgh-based chip maker is “in with a shout” of making an underlying profit this year thanks to high demand for smartphones and tablet computers in...
View ArticleComment: Aggreko could be the bright spark after Sandy
EARLY estimates put the cost of insured losses from Hurricane Sandy in excess of $20 billion (£12.4bn). The final tally is almost guesswork, but the job of getting back to work begins today.Wall Street...
View ArticlePaper maker seals £7.5m bank deal
EMPLOYEE-OWNED paper maker Tullis Russell Group has received a £7.5 million refinancing package over three years from Lloyds Bank.The Fife-based firm said the funding would be used to “drive its global...
View ArticleFarmers’ markets are facing welcome challenges
As EVERY retailer knows, the past four years has been pretty tough with everyone guarding the contents of their purses in the recession. Those taking stalls at farmers’ markets have not escaped this...
View ArticleMarston’s plans for five pubs a year in Scotland
PUB operator Marston’s is unveiling plans to build up to ten outlets in Scotland next year as the firm makes its first move north of the Border.The company, which owns more than 2,000 pubs in England...
View ArticleDisney buys Star Wars studio in £2.5bn swoop
Disney is to pay $4.05 billion (£2.5bn) to buy Lucasfilm, the production company behind Star Wars, from its chairman and founder, George Lucas. It’s also making a seventh movie in the Star Wars series,...
View ArticleUS deal hurts Standard
Standard Chartered has seen its profits for the first nine months of the year dented by a settlement with US authorities over alleged sanction violations.The bank agreed in August to pay $340 million...
View ArticleBusiness briefs: Three year recovery on horizon for Scots businesses
MORE than a third of Scottish firms believe the economy will take at least three years to recover, according to Bibby Financial Services Scotland.The invoice finance specialist’s quarterly business...
View ArticleFoot rot fears grow following wet summer
Sheep farmers attending an on farm event in Glen Lethnot yesterday will have already realised that this past summer had not been a good one for the health of their animals but they might have been...
View ArticleScottish Business Briefing - Wednesday 31 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. BANKINGHBOS corporate bankers ‘showed few...
View ArticleStagecoach buys Wigan bus business from FirstGroup for £12m
Stagecoach, the Perth-based bus and train operator, has today bought Aberdeen-based rival FirstGroup’s bus business in Wigan for £12 million.The acquisition includes a bus depot in Wigan, some leased...
View ArticleBarclays slips to quarterly loss
New Barclays chief executive Antony Jenkins insisted the bank was in good shape today despite a torrent of reputation-scarring scandals and a £47 million quarterly loss.Delivering his first set of...
View ArticleIrn Bru maker given ‘surprise’ deadline extension for takeover talks
AG Barr, the Cumbernauld-based maker of Irn Bru, was this morning granted a “surprise” three-week extension for its merger talks with Pepsi-bottler Britvic.The UK Takeover Panel had set a deadline of...
View ArticleNext raises profit guidance
High street giant Next raised its full-year profit hopes today but disappointed investors with a worse-than-expected performance from its powerhouse online business.The fashion and homewares chain,...
View ArticleStandard Life confident of better returns despite fall in sales
Life and pensions giant Standard Life today unveiled a 7 per cent drop in third-quarter new business but said it was well placed to cope with the changing regulatory landscape and deliver improved...
View ArticleApple axes former Dixons chief hired to shake up its stores
APPLE chief executive Tim Cook has parted company with two of his top executives following problems in new product development and the company’s stores.• Former Dixons Retail chief executive John...
View ArticleMarkets: BG shares slump on production cut
GAS producer BG Group sank to the foot of the Footsie yesterday after admitting output was unlikely to grow next year.Following the prolonged shutdown of the Elgin platform in the North Sea after a gas...
View ArticleDrinks supplier hits the acquisition trail
INVERARITY Morton, the drinks supplier created last year after William Morton took over Inverarity Vaults, hit the acquisition trail yesterday with the takeover of Glasgow-based rival LA Wholesale for...
View ArticleBean: ‘Bank committee has weaknesses’
The Bank of England’s deputy governor has admitted that its new financial policy committee (FPC) “may sometimes prove relatively ineffective” in preventing another financial crisis.Charlie Bean also...
View ArticleClydesdale puts a brave face on first full-year loss and job cuts
Clydesdale boss David Thorburn yesterday claimed the worst was behind the bank as it unveiled its first ever full-year loss amid a hike in bad debts. The group, which also owns Yorkshire Bank,...
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