July 2016


Tough grade for RBS in European stress test

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was one of the worst performing banks in stress tests carried out by the European Banking Authority (EBA). Under the imaginary stress conditions,…



Ofgem investigates SSE on pre-payment meters

Gas and electricity regulator Ofgem said it has launched an investigation into SSE’s pre-payment meter (PPM) processes. The investigation is being launched following concerns about SSE’s…







Stanton to succeed Cochrane at Weir Group

Glasgow-based engineering firm Weir Group said Keith Cochrane will step down as chief executive after 10 years on the board. Finance director Jon Stanton will succeed Cochrane on October…


Glasgow Uni signs China optoelectronics deal

The University of Glasgow has signed a partnership agreement with a major state-owned enterprise company in China to develop an international optoelectronics industry base in the…


GSK invests £110m at Montrose site

British healthcare firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is to invest £110 million in its Montrose site to develop a new, state-of-the-art facility for the manufacture of respiratory active ingredients. The Montrose plant manufactures…


Concern that RBS may charge firms for deposits

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said news that Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and its NatWest subsidiary might consider charging business customers to deposit money would be…



Edinburgh Trams to run every five minutes

Edinburgh Trams are to run every five minutes during morning and evening rush hours to respond to higher demand. The tram line is 14km long and runs from Edinburgh…



Macfarlane to buy Nelsons for £6.75m

Glasgow-based packaging firm Macfarlane Group said it agreed to buy Leicester-based Nelsons for Cartons and Packaging Limited for up to £6.75 million. The deal is backed by a placing…


Edrington revenues £574m amid ‘tough trading’

Glasgow-based drinks company Edrington said revenues for the year to March 31 were flat at £574.6 million amid a “challenging environment” where results were hit by “political and economic…



Superglass agrees to £8.7m takover by Russian

Stirling based insulation firm Superglass said it is recommending that its shareholders accept a £8.7 million cash takeover offer from Cyprus incorporated investment vehicle Inflection. Sergey Kolesnikov, the sole…


Alliance Trust hit by Brexit turbulence

Dundee-based investment trust firm Alliance Trust said its investments had underperformed its benchmark in the six months to June 30 “reflecting the turbulent market conditions around the…


£150m gain for RBS as MasterCard buys VocaLink

MasterCard said it agreed to acquire 92.4 percent of payment processing giant VocaLink for about £700 million ($920 million). In the UK, VocaLink operates the Link ATM network and processes…


Universities vow to protect EU research prowess

Universities Scotland and the Scottish Government have launched a joint campaign to protect the European research credentials of Scotland’s universities following the narrow vote by the…


Swedes invest £300m in Aberdeen wind farm

Swedish state-owned energy firm Vattenfall will invest more than £300 million as it becomes the 100% owner of the Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm test facility. For an undisclosed…


FirstGroup wins first American rail contract

Aberdeen-based transport giant FirstGroup has won its first rail contract in North America with the A-train commuter rail service in Texas — a 21-mile regional rail system that…


SSE: Brexit vote could cause more uncertainty

Alistair Phillips-Davies, chief executive of Perth-based energy giant SSE, said the outcome of the EU referendum “could lead to aspects of the financial, regulatory and political…



Scots GDP flat, but employment improves

The output of the Scottish economy remained flat during the January to March quarter of 2016, according to gross domestic product (GDP) statistics from Scotland’s chief…


Whisky boss vows to work with Holyrood on EU

As the Scottish Government focuses on pursuing “all available options” to keep Scotland in the EU, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) chief executive David Frost has vowed…


Bathgate construction firm Dunne collapses

Bathgate-based construction firm Dunne Group — which has been involved in some of the UK’s highest profile civil engineering projects — has gone into administration with the loss of more…


Smurfit joins Menzies as chairman

Edinburgh-based aviation logistics and news distribution company John Menzies has appointed Irish paper and packaging tycoon Dermot Smurfit as independent chairman of the group. Smurfit’s appointment will be…





FirstGroup may benefit from weaker pound

The weaker pound since the EU referendum could give a boost to Aberdeen-based bus and rail giant FirstGroup, which has extensive operations in North America. “It…


Dobbies appoints Cleland as chief executive

The new owners of Midlothian-based Dobbies Garden Centres — Midlothian Capital Partners and Hattington Capital — announced that retail and consumer business veteran John Cleland…



Aberdeen lifts suspension of property fund

Aberdeen Asset Management said it has lifted the suspension of trading in its £3.2 billion UK property fund. Uncertainty over the UK commercial real estate market following the…


Wood Group wins Apache contract extension

Aberdeen-based oil and gas services giant Wood Group said it has been awarded an extension to its master service agreement (MSA) contract with Apache Corporation…



Collagen Solutions revenue trebles to £3.24m

Glasgow-based Collagen Solutions, a manufacturer of medical grade collagen biomaterials, said group revenue and other income increased to £3.24 million in the year to March 31 compared…


Tesco Bank hires Hourican from RBS as CFO

Edinburgh-based Tesco Bank said it appointed former Royal Bank of Scotland executive Declan Hourican to the position of chief financial officer (CFO). Hourican will take up the…



S&P downgrades biggest social landlord

Standard & Poor’s (S&P) said it has lowered its long-term credit rating on Wheatley Housing Group, Scotland’s biggest social landlord, because the narrow UK vote to…


Sales, contract news lift Craneware shares

Shares of Edinburgh-based Craneware, a software firm that specializes in the US healthcare market, rose again after it said it enjoyed “a third consecutive year of record sales…


Stan Life down 13% amid property fund worries

Shares of Edinburgh-based Standard Life have fallen about 13% so far this week after its fund management business Standard Life Investments suspended trading in its £2.9 billion UK Real Estate Fund…


Synopsys buys Glasgow Uni spin-out GSS

A spin-out company launched six years ago by the University of Glasgow has been bought by California-based software giant Synopsys. Gold Standard Simulations Ltd (GSS) was…


Copylab expands into Asia

Scottish investment writing, copywriting and marketing communications company Copylab is to launch a new business in Asia with office openings in Hong Kong and Singapore. Copylab Asia…


Standard Life’s 1825 to buy Jones Sheridan

Standard Life’s fast-growing financial planning business 1825 said it will make its fifth acquisition through buying Crewe-based Jones Sheridan, which has assets under advice of £350 million. The deal will establish 1825’s…



Menzies faces new demand to break in two

Edinburgh-based aviation logistics and news distribution company John Menzies is facing a new demand from investors to split the firm in two, according to Reuters. The fresh demands…



Fishermen’s Federation pushes anti-EU case

The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) has outlined its opposition to Scotland remaining in the European Union despite the vow by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to “protect…


EnQuest shares up amid North Sea discovery

Shares of North Sea exploration firm EnQuest rose about 5% after it announced encouraging results fom its Central North Sea drilling programme.  Neil McCulloch, EnQuest’s president, North…