Articles by Scottish Financial Review

Plexus shares down 40% after profit warning

Shares in Aberdeen-based oil and gas engineering firm Plexus Holdings fell more than 40% on Monday morning after it said a slowdown in planned activity by its customers…


Scots productivity growth outpaces UK

Productivity growth in Scotland significantly outperformed the UK between 2007 and 2014 as Scottish output continued to catch up with UK levels, the Scottish Government said. Output…


Edinburgh rents overtake Aberdeen

Edinburgh has overtaken Aberdeen as the most expensive Scottish city in which to rent a property, with the capital’s average monthly let rising 5.7% over the…


£209m EU boost for Scotland-Ireland trade

A £209 million EU funding programme to strengthen cross-border business links — in sectors like conservation — between western Scotland, Northern Ireland and the border…



HBOS auditors KPMG face ‘preliminary probe’

The UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said on Thursday that preliminary enquiries under a “disciplinary scheme” will be made into KPMG’s work as auditors of HBOS just before the bank’s collapse….


Scots company pensions ‘have £4.2bn deficit’

The deficits of Scottish company pensions “remain stubbornly persistent at around £4.2 billion” according to the latest Hymans Robertson’s annual Scottish Pension Index report. Deficits have…


Digital entrepreneur Bilefield joins Stagecoach

Perth-base transport giant Stagecoach Group said digital entrepreneur James Bilefield will join the company as a non-executive director from February 1.“James has an international track record of successfully…


Challenger banks get help from regulators

The UK’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on Wednesday launched their New Bank Start-up Unit aimed at encouraging new “challenger banks” to…


Scots employment ‘highest on record’

Latest figures show the highest employment level for Scotland since records began in 1992, taking the number of Scots in work to 2,631,000, according to…


New rules to protect Scots wild salmon

Scotland’s environment minister Aileen McLeod has unveiled new measures from April 1 to regulate the killing of wild salmon in Scotland in order to protect stocks. Among the…



St Andrews Open ‘brought £140m to Scotland’

The 2015 Open Golf Championship at St Andrews brought £140 million of economic benefit to Scotland, according to an independent economic impact assessment commissioned by the R&A. The £140…


Shoveller named MD of Stagecoach UK rail

Perth-based transport giant Stagecoach Group has appointed Tim Shoveller (pictured) as managing director of the group’s UK rail division. The division includes South West Trains, East Midlands Trains,…


IPO price values Clydesdale at up to £2bn

National Australia Bank (NAB) on Monday announced a proposed, wide price range of between £1.75 and £2.35 per share for the initial public offering (IPO) of its…




Scots construction skills shortage continues

Nearly two thirds of Scottish construction businesses are still reporting difficulties in recruitment because of a continued shortage of skilled workers. The Scottish Chambers of Commerce…


Robert Smith new chairman of Alliance Trust

Dundee-based investment trust company Alliance Trust said it appointed veteran Scottish financier and businessman Robert Smith, Lord Smith of Kelvin, as its new chairman. Alliance Trust,…


Scots output lags UK, grows only 0.1%

Scotland’s economy continued to expand in the third quarter of last year — just — but lagged behind the growth rate of the UK, according to…


RBS ‘sell everything’ expert faces bet challenge

Outspoken Australian economist Stephen Koukoulas — known as The Kouk — has challenged Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) markets expert Andrew Roberts to a bet of A$10,000 to prove Roberts was wrong when…


Menzies chief resigns; two MDs appointed

Edinburgh-based aviation logistics and news distribution company John Menzies said on Wednesday its chief executive Jeremy Stafford had resigned for personal reasons after 15 months in the job. Menzies…


Stan Life ‘increasingly negative’ on China

Edinburgh-based global fund manager Standard Life Investments said its longer-term outlook on China “has become increasingly negative” and that it fears China might not carry out corporate…



Hamburg hedge fund Aquila buys Scots forests

Hamburg-based hedge fund Aquila Capital has bought 3,100 hectares of forest — about 12 square miles — in three locations in Scotland for its institutional investors….




New investment values Skyscanner at $1.6bn

Edinburgh-based travel search firm Skyscanner has announced five new partners who will invest £128 million ($192 million) between them for an undisclosed share in the company….


Busiest year ever for Edinburgh Airport

A 19% year-on-year rise in international passengers in December helped Edinburgh Airport enjoy its busiest year ever in 2015 with more than 11 million passengers. Edinburgh Airport…





Aberdeen buys Liverpool’s Albert Dock for £43m

Aberdeen Asset Management has bought Liverpool’s Albert Dock development ‎– a UNESCO world heritage site that is home to the Tate Liverpool and The Beatles Story — on behalf of…


Stan Life opposes Shell’s $50bn bid for BG

Edinburgh-based Standard Life Investments, a major shareholder in Royal Dutch Shell, said on Friday it would vote against Shell’s $50 billion bid to buy BG Group. David…


‘£700m storm damage to Scots economy’

The storms of December and January have already caused up to £700 million of damage to the Scottish economy, according to insurance experts at consultants PwC….


Wood Group wins Brazil contract

Aberdeen-based energy services giant Wood Group has won a new contract with PetroRio to deliver services to the Polvo A platform in the southern Campos basin, about 100…



Glasgow Uni commissions £40m research hub

The University of Glasgow has commissioned international architecture and design firm HOK and engineering consultants WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff to develop a new £40 million research hub dedicated to…


China rout drags down global stocks

Stock markets fell around the world on Monday following a rout in Chinese shares after weak manufacturing data in the world’s second-largest economy sparked fears of…


No Glasgow-Carlisle trains until February

Virgin Trains said its service between Glasgow and Carlisle has been suspended due to viaduct damage caused by Storm Frank and will not reopen until February…




£3bn Scots housing plan on target

The Scottish Government said around £690 million will be invested in housing in 2016-17 as part of a £3 billion plan to deliver 50,000 affordable homes…



Glasgow-based Minoan boosted by Crete news

Shares of Glasgow-based travel firm Minoan Group rose about 8% after it said the presidential decree required for a joint venture resort it is planning on the Greek…


IndigoVision in profit, but sales disappoint

Edinburgh-based security camera company IndigoVision said its sales were lower than it expected in the second half of this year, mainly due to the delay of a project…


Mega deals push M&A to record $5 trillion

Sixty-nine merger and acquisition (M&A) deals worth $10 billion or more this year have helped propel global M&A volume to a record $5.03 trillion, according…


Scots female employment rate 2nd best in EU

Scotland’s female employment rate is the second best of all 28 European Union countries, according to Eurostat figures covering July 2014 to June 2015. “Earlier this year I…



Renewables now largest electricity generator

Renewable energy is now the biggest contributor to electricity generation in Scotland and has reached a record 38% of total output — higher than nuclear (33%) and fossil fuels (28%) for…


Military men to run Edinburgh transport

Three of the top jobs in Edinburgh transport have been filled — two of them by former military men — as the capital city’s integrated bus-and-tram transport leaders seek…



Purvis to chair digital skills academy

Polly Purvis, chief executive of digital technologies trade body ScotlandIS, has been appointed the first chair of CodeClan, Scotland’s first digital skills academy. CodeClan opened in September…


£475m of train improvements at ScotRail

ScotRail has announced a £475 million train improvement programme it said will deliver new trains, thousands of extra seats, at-seat power points and better wifi. When the seven-year programme…



Wood Group buys Ohio-based Kelchner

Aberdeen-based oil and gas services giant Wood Group said it has acquired Springboro, Ohio-based Kelchner Inc, a privately-owned construction and energy field services company, for…



Aggreko pulls out of Rio Olympics

Glasgow-based temporary power supplier Aggreko said on Friday it has withdrawn from the bidding process for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic Games. Aggreko’s shares…



Graham’s The Family Dairy sales hit £86.5m

Bridge of Allan-based Graham’s The Family Dairy announced that its 2015 sales increased to £86.5 million from £85 million last year. Pre-tax profit rose to £1.6 million in…



RBS Gets Approaches For Williams & Glyn

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) said on Wednesday it has received “a number of informal approaches” for its Williams & Glyn branch network. RBS said that while…



Confusion over Aggreko’s Rio Olympics Tender

Confusion surrounds the tender from Glasgow-based temporary power supplier Aggreko to provide generators to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next year. Reuters reported that a spokesman…


Sturgeon talks include possible Scots bonds

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has hinted that the Scottish government is moving closer to issuing Scottish debt — by selling bonds to institutional investors….


RBS chief outlines investment bank plans

Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive Ross McEwan has outlined the company’s fast-moving plans to shrink its global investment banking operations as it moves to…


Edinburgh and Glasgow airports boom

Edinburgh Airport is on course for its busiest year ever and Glasgow Airport is on track to record its strongest year since 2008. Edinburgh had 794,792 passengers in November, a…


Deals help Wood Group weather storm

Shares of Aberdeen-based global energy services giant Wood Group rose almost 3% on Thursday after it published a strong trading update for the year to…


FirstGroup retains TransPennine franchise

Aberdeen-based transport giant FirstGroup has retained the TransPennine Express rail franchise until at least 2023. The franchise will play a key part in delivery of the UK Government’s…


Stagecoach cuts forecast after Paris attacks

Shares of Perth-based bus and train operator Stagecoach fell more than 13% after it said the terrorist attacks in Paris have discouraged people from traveling to major…