Search Results for SSE

Celtic revenue £31m; Europe causes frustration

Celtic plc said its revenue increased 0.3% to £31.4 million and profit before tax rose from £6.6 million to £11.7 million in the six months ended December 31, 2015. However,…




EU delay means ‘£440m due to Scots farmers’

Delays to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) new payments system have left cash flows for Scottish farmers “under severe pressure” with around £440 million still outstanding,…


34,711 Scots companies formed in 2015

There were 34,711 companies formed in Scotland in 2015 — and 19,772 businesses dissolved — according to research by Inform Direct. That took the total number…





Menzies Distribution acquires Thistle Couriers

Edinburgh-based Menzies Distribution has acquired Thistle Couriers of Aberdeen for an undisclosed sum — the firm’s third acquisition in the past 12 months. Menzies said the move…


JLL warns Scotland not building enough homes

Property firm JLL has warned that Scotland is not building enough homes to meet either current demand or the Scottish Government’s current recommended targets for homes. In…


Archangels and SIB invest another £3.9m

Edinburgh-based angel investors Archangels have teamed up with the Scottish Investment Bank (SIB) to commit to four further rounds of investment for expanding Scottish firms, with additional funding of…


Stan Life expects more debt market volatility

Edinburgh-based Standard Life Investments has told investors it expects another year of volatility in debt markets — and said it believes the risk of recession “is lower than the market…




Beijing development bank role for Alexander

Former UK Treasury minister Danny Alexander has been confirmed as one of the five vice presidents of the new Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The new development…


IoD fears BoE ‘stoking debt-fuelled bubbles’

The Institute of Directors has repeated its warnings about “ultra-accommodative monetary policy” after the monetary policy committee of the Bank of England, the UK’s central bank,…


Stagecoach, FirstGroup fight for South Western

Perth-based Stagecoach and Aberdeen-based FirstGroup have been shortlisted to compete for the next South Western rail franchise in June 2017. Stagecoach has operated the network under…


Equator takes control of 999 Design Group

Glasgow-based digital marketing agency Equator has acquired a controlling interest in Glasgow and London brand agency 999 Design Group as part of a “major growth strategy.” 999…


Graham’s Dairy in exclusive Starbucks deal

Bridge of Allan-based Graham’s The Family Dairy has signed a deal to exclusively supply milk and whipping cream to all of Starbucks’ 68 stores in Scotland. “Starbucks share our…



Rural land prices fall in Scotland

Scottish rural land prices fell in the second half of 2015 as low prices for crops and commodities took their toll, according a survey by the Royal Institution…




Clydesdale IPO delayed amid rating drama

National Australia Bank (NAB) said the IPO of its Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank (CYBG) — which had been planned to go ahead Tuesday — has been delayed…



Scottish Friendly in record sales of £25.5m

Glasgow-based Scottish Friendly, Scotland’s largest financial mutual, said it achieved record-breaking sales in 2015 of £25.5 million compared to £21.6 million in 2014. The 18% increase was driven by sales…



Richards to leave Aberdeen to be M&G CEO

Aberdeen Asset Management said its chief investment officer Anne Richards (pictured) will leave the company later this year to become chief executive of M&G Investments, the UK and…



£257m revenue at Irn Bru maker Barr

Shares of Cumbernauld-based soft drinks maker A.G. Barr rose about 2% after it said its performance improved in the second half of the year and that revenue…


FirstGroup falls 9% as revenue, profits slip

Shares in Aberdeen-based bus and rail giant FirstGroup fell more than 9% after it said revenues in its third quarter fell by 9.5% due in part to UK flooding and a…




RBS £3.6bn hit for pension, litigation, PPI

Royal Bank of Scotland said it will make a £3.6 billion provision to cover pension payments, litigation over mortgage-backed securities and issues connected to payment protection insurance (PPI). RBS also unveiled…


Scots finance ‘needs international women’

Scotland’s financial services industry needs to actively recruit more women from international markets to improve its gender diversity, according to a prominent recruitment firm. In its 2016…



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…


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…


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,…



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,…


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….



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…


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…





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…


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…