News



Saltire Court ‘up for sale at £69m’

Saltire Court, one of Edinburgh’s most prestigious office blocks, has been put up for sale by Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) for about £69 million,…


Menzies to buy Florida’s ASIG for £153m

John Menzies said it agreed to buy Orlando, Florida-based aviation and fuel services company ASIG from BBA Aviation for up to £153 million in what it called a “transformational” deal…





Changes to second home council tax discount

The Scottish Government said legislation to remove the automatic council tax discount for second homes has been laid in Parliament. “This change will give councils…


Scots unemployment falls below UK level

The unemployment rate in Scotland has fallen to 4.7% and is now below the UK rate, according to the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS). The Scottish employment…


Oil and gas production up, but value down

Oil and gas production in Scotland increased by 21.4% to around 70 million tonnes of oil equivalent in 2015-16 and accounted for 81% of the UK total, according…




Goals Soccer Centres halts sales decline

East Kilbride-based Goals Soccer Centres said profit before tax was £3.5 million in the six months to June 30 compared to £4.5 million in the first half…


Mysterious jump in Johnston Press stock

Troubled Johnston Press — owner of The Scotsman, the i newspaper and the Yorkshire Post — said on Tuesday it knew of “no operational or corporate…



Regulator lifts Aberdeen’s cash buffer to £475m

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has increased the required minimum level of capital that should be held by Aberdeen Asset Management for regulatory purposes. Aberdeen’s regulatory capital…



Fringe helps Edinburgh Airport rise 12%

Edinburgh Airport enjoyed an increase in passengers of 11.9% in August compared to the same month last year — with 1,296,189 people passing through the airport. The number…



Hurricane shares up 53% on Shetland tests

Shares of oil firm Hurricane Energy soared 53% after it said tests at the Lancaster field west of Shetland showed “a very significant hydrocarbon column.” Hurricane CEO…






‘Three bidders’ for £4bn Green Investment Bank

Up to three groups are expected to bid for Edinburgh-based UK Green Investment Bank by Monday’s deadline, according to Bloomberg News. Bloomberg said Sustainable Development Capital LLP is leading…




Shepherd and Wedderburn on £99.3bn of deals

Scottish law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn said its banking and finance practice — the largest in Scotland — reported its busiest ever 12 months and worked on deals worth…




UK Treasury ‘not consulted on £500m fund’

The Scottish Conservatives said the Scottish Government had not discussed its proposed £500 million Scottish Growth Scheme with the UK Treasury despite the plan requiring Treasury approval….


Stan Life leads vote against Sports Direct board

More than half of the independent shareholders of controversial retailer Sports Direct voted against re-electing Keith Hellawell as chairman at a stormy annual general meeting. Edinburgh-based fund…


Average Edinburgh house price up 7.7% to £242k

The average selling price for houses in east central Scotland increased 6.2% to £224,782 over the last three months compared to the same period last year, according to latest report by…


Edinburgh University ranked 19th in world

The University of Edinburgh has placed 19th in the QS World University Rankings 2016/17, just ahead of Columbia University and King’s College London. The ranking…


£500m support for private sector firms

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday unveiled a new £500 million package of financial support for private sector business investment as she set out plans…


Craneware revenue up 11% to $49.8m

Edinburgh-based Craneware, a software firm that specializes in the US healthcare market, said its revenue increased 11% to $49.8 million and profit before tax increased by 10% to…


Bayer in advanced $65bn talks to buy Monsanto

German chemical and pharmaceutical giant Bayer said late on Monday it is in “advanced negotiations” to buy the world’s largest seed company Monsanto for more than $65 billion. A…





Sturgeon pushes for single market ‘coalition’

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is pushing for a coalition of like-minded UK government ministers to put pressure on UK Prime Minister Theresa May to preserve Britain’s access…



Japan warns firms could leave UK over Brexit

Japan’s government has delivered a stark warning to the UK government that Japanese companies — especially financial and pharmaceutical firms — could leave the UK unless…


Food and drink turnover hits record £14.4bn

The annual turnover for Scotland’s food and drink industry reached a record £14.4 billion in 2014, the latest figures show. The Scottish Government said the numbers…





Edinburgh Business School hires ‘Mrs Moneypenny’

Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh Business School has appointed international businesswoman, human resource specialist and journalist Heather McGregor to its top post. McGregor is perhaps best known…



Standard Life: China growth could slow to 2%

Edinburgh-based global fund manager Standard Life Investments (SLI), which manages assets of about £270 billion, has warned that growth in China could fall as low as…




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…