August 2016


Action plan to revitalise £200m sheep sector

A 24-point action plan aimed at revitalising Scotland’s £200 million-a-year sheep sector has been unveiled by a group of industry experts. The recommendations are contained in the…



Decommissioning plan for Orkney port

Orkney Islands Council has given a demolition company the opportunity to investigate the potential of Lyness near Scapa Flow as a potential as a base for North Sea…






10% home purchase tax ‘hurting housing market’

Scotland’s 10% tax on home purchases of more than £325,000 — a rate that applies to purchases over £925,000 in England — is having a detrimental effect in “the middle to higher…


FanDuel saga to be told in book and movie

The story of the meteoric rise of Edinburgh and Manhattan-based fantasy sports operator FanDuel and its controversial rivalry with DraftKings is set to be told in…





Russell appointed Scotland’s Brexit minister

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Michael Russell has been appointed as the Scottish government’s new minister with responsibility for Brexit negotiations with the UK government….




Aggreko to provide Gold Coast Games power

Glasgow-based mobile power firm Aggreko said it won the bid to provide temporary power for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018). The contract includes power for…


Acquisitions help Macfarlane sales to £81.5m

Glasgow-based packaging firm Macfarlane Group said revenue in the six months to June 30 rose 3.7% to £81.5 million and profit before tax rose 8.1% to just over £2 million…


Scotland’s £33m sports performance centre open

Oriam, Scotland’s new £33 million world-class sports performance centre, is ready to open its doors on Monday August 29. The performance centre is located at Heriot-Watt University on the…




£333m Aberdeen Conference Centre go-ahead

Henry Boot Developments said it concluded unconditional agreements with Aberdeen City Council for its new £333 million Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre (AECC). Boot has appointed Stirling-based…



Statoil buys 70% of North Sea field

Shares of Jersey Oil & Gas soared about 18% after Norwegian multinational Statoil agreed to acquire 70% of a licence in the Outer Moray Firth from Jersey and its…



FanDuel back in business in New York

Fantasy sports operator FanDuel — based in Edinburgh and Manhattan — said the New York Gaming Commission approved the firm’s temporary operating license in New York. “We want to…




PwC to hire 1,000 cyber security specialists

PwC said its UK Risk Assurance practice will recruit more than 1,000 technology specialists over the next four years to meet “increasing client demand for digital, regulatory…



Pfizer to buy Medivation in $14bn deal

Pfizer said it agreed to acquire cancer drug firm Medivation for about $14 billion in a move to boost its oncology portfolio. Medivation is best known for…


RBS to charge trading clients to hold cash

Up to 70 investment banking customers of Royal Bank of Scotland will have to pay to hold deposits with RBS from Monday when it will become the first UK bank…



Record 30,400 students gain university place

The Scottish Government said a record number of Scottish students have secured a place at university and that successful applications by students from the country’s most deprived areas…



Royal London assets up 11% to £93.8bn

Royal London — which includes the former Scottish Life and Scottish Provident businesses — said its new life and pensions business was up by 39% to…


Rugby: Townsend to succeed Cotter

Scottish Rugby has confirmed that Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend will replace Vern Cotter as Scotland head coach at the end of the 2016/17…


Employment rose 51,000 in last quarter

Employment in Scotland rose by 51,000 to 2,629,000 in the last quarter — the largest quarterly rise on record — according to the UK’s Office for National Statistics…


RBS cancels $300m Infosys contract

The Royal Bank of Scotland has terminated a $300 million contract with Indian technology firm Infosys following the announcement last week that RBS will no longer pursue its…


Investment for Inverness life sciences firm

Inverness-based LifeScan Scotland — owned by Johnson & Johnson — is to embark on an £8.7 million investment to innovate the research, development and manufacturing capabilities…



$63m makes Calvin Harris highest-paid DJ

Scotland’s Calvin Harris is the highest-paid DJ in the world with earnings of $63 million, according to Forbes. Forbes said Dumfries-born Harris was the biggest earner in Electronic…


Keltbray buys assets of Bathgate’s Dunne Group

Keltbray Group said it has acquired some of the assets Bathgate-based construction firm Dunne Group — which went into administration in July — from the administrators. The purchase…


Moody’s cuts Johnston Press deep into junk

Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the bond (debt) ratings of media firm Johnston Press, owner of The Scotsman, the i newspaper and the Yorkshire Post, deeper into…


Burness turnover £53m, but Brexit bites profit

Leading Scots law firm Burness Paull said turnover for the financial year ending July 31 rose 3.9% to £53.3 million –but profit fell 3.4% to £22.6 million as post-Brexit uncertainty…


Cairn shares up amid Senegal discovery

Shares of Edinburgh-based global oil and gas explorer Cairn Energy rose 4.5% after it said an appraisal of its “world-class” discovery off the coast of Senegal had significantly increased so-called “2C”…




Wood Group wins $700m Kazakh contract

Aberdeen-based oil and gas services giant Wood Group said it won a $700 million contract to provide services to Tengizchevroil (TCO) at the Tengiz Field in Kazakhstan….


Glasgow coffee firm Algie bought by Tchibo

Glasgow-based coffee roaster Matthew Algie said it has been acquired by family-owned German coffee and food service business Tchibo for an undisclosed sum. Tchibo cited…


Stan Life strengthens social investing team

Edinburgh-based Standard Life Investments has strengthened its Environmental, Social and Corporate (ESG) team with the hiring of Marc Brammer and Sophie Rahm as responsible investment analysts….




Retailers ask for help on rates and tax

The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) has called on the Scottish Government to scrap the annual £62.4 million large business rates surcharge in a detailed submission ahead of…



Edrington appoints Hyde chief financial officer

Glasgow-based drinks company Edrington — owner of The Macallan, Highland Park and Famous Grouse — said it appointed Paul Hyde as its new chief financial officer. He succeeds Alex Short,  who…


Aegon buys Cofunds from Legal & General

Dutch insurance and investment giant Aegon, which has large UK operations in Edinburgh, said it would acquire Cofunds — an investment platform for financial advisers — from…


FirstGroup fails to win East Anglia franchise

Aberdeen-based bus and rail giant FirstGroup said it was disappointed not to have been awarded the East Anglia rail franchise after submitting “a compelling, deliverable, and…



Whisky distillery tourists spend £50m

Scotland’s whisky distilleries attracted as many tourists as Edinburgh Castle and St Paul’s Cathedral last year — and spending at distillery visitor centres was £50 million. New research…




Brown joins Scottish Building Society board

Scottish Building Society said it has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of Aileen Brown in the newly-created role of finance director. Brown joins…


Sturgeon in Berlin for post-Brexit vote talks

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon travelled to Berlin on Tuesday for talks with the German Government, discussing the EU referendum result and the next steps for the…


Glasgow subway to reopen nine days late

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) said the Glasgow subway will reopen nine days later than planned on Wednesday, August 10 following a major modernisation programme. SPT said essential renewal…


Aggreko buys US climate control firm Dryco

Glasgow-based mobile power firm Aggreko said it agreed to buy Illinois-based industrial climate control equipment firm Dryco. Aggreko said Dryco specializes in moisture control, drying, heating, and…




Demand falls for Scottish goods and services

Demand for Scottish goods and services in July deteriorated at the fastest pace for nearly four years, according to the latest Bank of Scotland/Markit purchasing managers’…