December 2018


Gatwick sold in Brexit bargain. Edinburgh next?

Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), which owns Edinburgh Airport, said on Thursday that together with its co-shareholders it is selling 50.01% of Gatwick to France’s Vinci Airports for…


Carnoustie Open boosts Scotland by £120m

The 147th British Golf Open at Carnoustie generated a £120 million benefit for the Scottish economy, according to an independent study revealed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon…




Craneware update reverses stock plunge

Shares of Edinburgh-based Craneware, a software firm that specializes in US healthcare, recovered some of their recent losses on Friday morning after the firm issued an…


Glasgow’s DeepMatter buys Munich’s Infochem

DeepMatter, the Glasgow AIM-listed company focusing on digitizing chemistry, said on Thursday it agreed to acquire German cheminformatics firm Infochem GmbH from global publisher Springer Nature…


Faroe rejects £610m bid as DNO ups stake

Aberdeen-based Faroe Petroleum on Thursday issued a circular rejecting a hostile £610 million cash takeover bid from Norwegian oil and gas company DNO. Faroe operates in the…





Scots business R&D spend up 14% to £1.2bn

Scottish businesses are investing record amounts in research and development, according to statistics published on Wednesday. The Business Enterprise Research & Development (BERD) statistics show…


Wood, Amec win $66m Sellafield contract

Aberdeen-based oil services and engineering giant Wood plc said it won a contract to supply “programmable digital control technologies” to the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria….


Scottish Building Society CEO to step down

Scottish Building Society announced that Mark Thomson is stepping down from his role as chief executive after almost seven years. “During his time with Scottish Building…




Michelin agrees to develop Dundee site

Michelin, Scottish Enterprise and Dundee City Council have signed a Memorandum of Understanding affirming the intention to secure a long-term future for Michelin’s site in…


Scots councils balk at £11bn funding deal

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) said on Tuesday its 2019-20 funding settlement from the Scottish government will mean “substantial job losses in places…


Springfield Properties continues hunt for land

Elgin-based housebuilder Springfield Properties, which went public last year, said on Monday it “continues to evaluate opportunities to acquire land” as demand for housing in Scotland…


SSE-Npower merger off: other options mulled

UPDATE 2 — The proposed merger of Perth-based energy giant SSE’s retail unit with Innogy subsidiary Npower was scrapped on Monday with the companies saying they were “unable…



Menzies Aviation deal gets provisional OK

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Friday it has provisionally cleared Edinburgh-based Menzies Aviation’s takeover of part of Airline Services’ business after…


Glasgow’s Aggreko wins $200m Olympic deal

Glasgow-based Aggreko, the world’s largest temporary power firm, said on Friday it has been awarded the $200m supply contract for temporary electricity generation by The Tokyo…


DNO starts clock on £610m bid for Faroe

Norwegian oil and gas company DNO on Wednesday started the clock on its £610 million hostile takeover bid for Aberdeen-based Faroe Petroleum. DNO, which already owns…



Scots wind power hits 109% of demand

WWF Scotland said wind output in Scotland in November broke through the 100% threshold for the first time, with 109% of total Scottish electricity demand…



Scots unemployment at 3.7% record low

Unemployment in Scotland has fallen to 3.7%, the lowest rate on record and lower than the current UK rate of 4.1%, according to new figures…


Scots public sector employs 545,100

New public sector employment statistics for Scotland, released by Scotland’s Chief Statistician, show that there were 545,100 people employed in the public sector in Scotland…





Scots film studio plan for Leith Avengers site

Screen Scotland on Friday launches a tender process inviting proposals from private developers to lease, refurbish and operate a permanent world-class film and television production…


Macallan MD to succeed Edrington CEO Curle

Glasgow-based drinks company Edrington — owner of Scotch whisky brands The Macallan, Highland Park and The Famous Grouse — said on Friday that chief executive officer Ian Curle…


Scots tourism jobs up 24,500 to 206,000

The number of people working in Scotland’s tourism sector increased by 24,500 to 206,000 in the five years after the introduction of the National Tourism Strategy in…





Scots Parliament rejects Brexit deal

The Scottish Parliament has rejected the UK Government’s draft Brexit deal and has ruled out a ‘no deal’ Brexit option. Constitutional Relations Secretary Michael Russell…




Iomart half-year revenue up 8% to £51m

Glasgow-based cloud computing firm Iomart Group plc said on Tuesday its revenue grew 8% to £50.9 million and adjusted profit before tax rose 7% to £12.4 million…


EU law boss says UK can cancel Brexit

The European Court of Justice’s advocate general said on Tuesday the UK has the legal right to unilaterally withdraw its Brexit notice from the European…


EnQuest buys Magnus oil field from BP

North Sea exploration firm EnQuest said on Monday it completed the acquisition of the remaining 75% interest in the Magnus oil field, an additional 9 % interest…