April 2016

Beattie turnover up 17% to £8.6m

Marketing, media and PR group Beattie said it generated record profits of £590,000 and grew turnover by 17% to £8.6 million in 2015. Now headquartered in London, Beattie has eight offices across…



Harper Macleod turnover up 17% to £25.7m

Law firm Harper Macleod said it has increased its share of the Scottish legal market as it announced a record performance for its most recent financial year. The…



Weir shareholders reject directors’ pay deal

Shareholders of Glasgow-based engineering firm Weir Group on Thursday voted down the company’s proposals on directors’ pay packages. Weir shareholders voted 72.4% against two resolutions on directors’…




Cost cutting helps Weir profits; shares up 8%

Glasgow-based engineering firm Weir Group said on Thursday its strong cost reduction measures helped it deliver first quarter profits slightly ahead of expectations, despite a significant reduction in…


Brexit: What would David Hume do?

What would David Hume say on the subject of whether the UK should remain part of the EU? Well, we’ll never know — but the great Scottish philosopher…


Tasmania power crisis to boost Aggreko Q2

Glasgow-based international mobile power provider Aggreko said its underlying revenue for the first quarter was 14% behind last year — but a hydro power shortage in Tasmania could help…


DC Thomson wins three industry awards

Dundee-based publisher DC Thomson won three awards at Wednesday night’s newsawards in London. Nominated for three awards at the event, which recognizes the best in news…







Shepherd and Wedderburn on £6.1bn bond deal

Scottish law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn said it acted alongside Allen & Overy on a £6.1 billion securitisation of residential UK mortgages by US investment firm Cerberus…


Sawers new EHRC Scotland Commissioner

Former Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) chief executive Lesley Sawers has been appointed Scotland Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). Sawers is currently executive chair…


PIRC urges rejection of RBS executive pay

Corporate governnance experts Pensions & Investment Research Consultants (PIRC) have urged shareholders of Royal Bank of Sotland to vote against the remuneration report at the RBS…




Collagen Solutions in China joint venture

Glasgow-based Collagen Solutions said it has entered a joint venture agreement with China-based conglomerate Cre8ive. Collagen Solutions’ chief executive said the purpose of the move was…


Record year for Highland and Islands Airports

Scotland’s Highland and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) said it handled more passengers than ever in the last financial year. HIAL said it handled 1,437,625 passengers in 2015-16…


Plexus raises $5m in Russian share deal

Aberdeen-based oil and gas engineering services company Plexus Holdings said it raised $5 million via a discounted issue of 6.76 million shares to Russian equipment manufacturer Gusar. Plexus said…



House sale volume up 18.2% – prices fall 8.4%

Registers of Scotland (RoS) said the volume of residential property sales in Scotland rose 18.2% to 19,802 during the January to March quarter compared to the same period last year….


Iberdrola’s ScottishPower fined £18m

ScottishPower, a subsidiary of Basque group Iberdrola, has been fined £18 million after an investigation by UK energy market regulator Ofgem into the Scottish firm’s “complaint resolution, call…


£1.2m investment for Livingston’s Optoscribe

Livingston-based photonic technology company Optoscribe — founded in 2010 as a spin out business from Heriot-Watt University — has received £1.2 million in investment. The fundraising was led by…



Glasgow subway to close for four weeks in July

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) said the latest stage of its Glasgow subway modernisation programme will require the suspension of subway services for four weeks from Saturday July…



ICAS membership exceeds 21,000

Membership of the Chartered Accountants’ professional body ICAS has reached a new record of more than 21,000. ICAS has seen a 50% growth in members over the last…



Turner on new Bank of England £20 note

Bank of England governor Mark Carney announced that artist J.M.W. Turner and his painting The Fighting Temeraire will appear on the next £20 banknote due to…


Edinburgh rents up 6.6% to £972 average

Average rents in Scotland’s private rented sector recorded a 2.1% year-on-year growth in the first quarter of 2016 to £767 per month, according to the latest Citylets quarterly…





Scotmid profit up to £5.7m on turnover of £371m

Scotmid said its trading profit for the year ended January 30, 2016, rose £200,00 to £5.7 million as its turnover fell £12 million to £371 million. Scotmid chief executive John Brodie said…


Wood wins $150m North Sea contract extension

Aberdeen-based energy services giant Wood  Group has won a five year $150 million contract extension from Nexen — extending a deal that has been in place since April…





MPs slam ScottishPower for £75m ‘mis-selling’

An All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) of MPs alleged on Wednesday that ScottishPower sustained and sought to cover up a “cashback mis-selling” scandal that cost 625,000 consumers across the UK more than £75 million….



Aggreko wins Zimbabwe contract

Glasgow-based mobile power provider Aggreko said its Power Solutions business has signed a 3 year contract to provide 200 megawatts of diesel-fuelled power in Zimbabwe.  Aggreko’s customer is Sakunda…


Farm rents ‘up 3% in last year’

The average cost of renting agricultural land has risen 3% since last year, according to the Scottish Government. Scotland’s chief statistician has released the latest figures on Tenanted…


Craft breweries sign deal with Asda

Thirteen Scottish craft breweries have signed a deal to supply beers and ciders to Asda stores in Scotland. Asda has teamed up with the Craft…


Energy Assets agrees to be bought for £198m

Livingston-based gas metering company Energy Assets Group said on Monday it agreed to be acquired by funds controlled by US infrastructure asset manager Alinda Capital Partners for about £198 million. Alinda…


Change of chief financial officer at Menzies

Edinburgh-based airport logistics and news distribution company John Menzies — under shareholder pressure to split into two companies — said on Monday that chief financial officer Paula Bell will…


Dingwall bid for community-owned distillery

A bid to create Scotland’s first community-owned craft whisky distillery has been launched in the Highland town of Dingwall. The Glenwyvis Distillery Community Benefit Society has…


Aberdeen hires Jennings for digital division

Aberdeen Asset Management has appointed Martin Jennings to the newly created role of Head of Aberdeen Digital, a distinct division within the firm. Jennings will be responsible…



£12k payments end museums pay dispute

National Museums Scotland said it reached an agreement with the PCS Union that will bring to an end the three-year long industrial dispute over payment of weekend allowances. “Funding…




Carillion CEO takes on safety role at Wood Group

Aberdeen-based energy services giant Wood Group said Richard Howson, chief executive of construction company Carillion, will join Wood Group as a non-executive director on May 12, 2016….







Standard Life ‘wants to buy Axa’s Elevate’

Standard Life wants to buy Elevate, Axa’s platform for helping independent financial advisers manage clients’ investments, according to Bloomberg News. Axa, France’s largest insurer, is…








FCA bans former RBS Libor submitter

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has censured former Royal Bank of Scotland Libor submitter Paul White and banned him from performing any function in relation to…