Nora Senior to chair new Enterprise and Skills board
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that Nora Senior, chair of UK regions for global PR firm Weber Shandwick, will chair Scotland’s new Strategic Board for…
UK
Retail blames rates, regulation for 6,400 job losses
The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) has blamed a “toxic cocktail” of rising rates and regulatory costs from the Scottish Government for the loss of 6,400 jobs…
Total starts gas production at West Shetland fields
Total said it has started production from the Edradour & Glenlivet gas and condensate fields located in about 300 to 435 metres of water in…
Russell: UK must rule out unthinkable Brexit no-deal
Scotland’s Brexit Minister Michael Russell said on Monday the UK Government must rule out an “unthinkable” Brexit no-deal. Russell called on the UK Government to commit to…
New film and TV school to open in Scotland
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a Scottish Government investment to support the National Film and Television School’s (NFTS) plans to set up a base in…
Scotland’s deficit falls to £13.3bn – 8.3% of GDP
Scotland’s notional deficit fell by £1.3 billion to £13.3 billion in 2016-17 to stand at 8.3% of GDP — about triple the UK figure of 2.4%….
Scotland and Wales to propose Brexit bill changes
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon and First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones on Tuesday agreed to work together on potential amendments to the UK…
Total buys $7.45bn Maersk Oil in North Sea push
France’s Total is to buy Maersk’s oil and gas business in a roughly $7.45 billion deal which Total said would boost its North Sea operations and…
Virgin Trains’ Scotland-London business booms
Virgin Trains said it has witnessed an “historic shift” in travel patterns as more Scotland-London passengers “choose train over plane than at any time in…
RBS chief to tackle ‘too white, too male’ culture
Royal Bank of Scotland CEO Ross McEwan has pledged to help address a lack of diversity in British boardrooms by combating a “too white and…
Whisky, salmon push UK exports to record £10.2bn
The UK’s Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said whisky, salmon and beer helped exports of all UK food and drink grow 8.5% to a record…
Royal London funds up 6% to £106bn
Royal London said its new life and pensions business rose 45% to just more than £6 billion in the first half of 2017, and funds…
Big changes as Macquarie seals Green Bank deal
Australia’s Macquarie Group said on Friday its consortium completed the acquisition of Edinburgh-based UK Green Investment Bank from the UK Government for £2.3 billion. Macquarie said…
Union claims RBS to cut 880 tech jobs
The union Unite said Royal Bank of Scotland has told staff that it will cut a further 40% of permanent staff from its London IT…
Scots salmon H1 exports leap 70% to record £346m
Scottish salmon exports reached a record £346 million in the first half of 2017 — a 70% increase on the same period last year, according…
ScottishPower approved for mega offshore windfarm
ScottishPower Renewables said it received planning approval from the UK’s Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Greg Clark MP, for the East…
Netflix buys Scots comic book firm Millarworld
By Mark McSherry UPDATE 2 — Netflix Inc. said it acquired Millarworld, the comic book publishing firm run by Scottish writer Mark Millar and his…
Builders ‘struggle to meet affordable homes target’
Scotland’s housebuilding sector is performing well — but may struggle to meet the Scottish Government’s ambitious target of achieving 50,000 affordable homes by 2021, according to…
Alliance Trust ‘encouraged’ by external manager start
Dundee-based investment firm Alliance Trust announced results for the six months to June 30 as it makes a transition to its new investment approach with…
Weir H1 revenue tops £1bn amid North America boost
Glasgow-based engineering giant Weir Group said its revenue rose 26% to £1.09 billion in the six months to June 30, 2017, “reflecting both the recovery in…
Aberdeen, Edinburgh to be hardest hit by Brexit
Aberdeen would be the British city hardest hit by Brexit, with Edinburgh not far behind, according to a new study by the think tank Centre…
UK financial regulator increases Scotland presence
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced the appointment of Edinburgh pensions and insurance veteran Maggie Craig as the Head of Department, Scotland — a…
RBS share sale ‘value for money’ despite £2bn loss
A report by the UK’s National Audit Office (NAO) has concluded that the first sale of UK government shares in Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)…
Head of Student Loans Company ‘suspended’
Steve Lamey, the chief executive of the UK’s Glasgow-based Student Loans Company (SLC), has been suspended pending an investigation, according to reports. No clear reason was…
Scotland, Wales ‘won’t support’ EU Withdrawal Bill
The First Ministers of Scotland and Wales said the UK government’s European Union (Withdrawal) Bill is a “naked power-grab” for which the Scottish and Welsh Governments…
North America tourist spend up 40% to £641m
Visitors to Scotland from North America spent £641 million in the 12 months to the end of March 2017, a 40% rise on the previous…
RBS pays £4.2bn to resolve US mortgage probe
Royal Bank of Scotland said it will pay £4.2 billion to settle one of two US investigations into allegations it mis-sold mortgage-backed bonds. RBS needs to…
Fraud Office probes Wood target Amec Foster Wheeler
UPDATE 3 — Oil and gas services company Amec Foster Wheeler — which has agreed to be taken over for £2.2 billion by Aberdeen-based Wood…
Cochrane becomes interim CEO of Carillion
Construction and outsourcing firm Carillion said on Monday it appointed Keith Cochrane — former chief executive of Stagecoach and Weir Group — as its interim…
Menzies merger firm DX avoids ‘full investigation’
Courier firm DX Group, currently in the process of merging with the distribution business of Edinburgh-based John Menzies, said on Friday that the City of London Police “will not…
CBI: ‘Stay in single market until Brexit deal’
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned that the UK needs to stay inside the single market and customs union until a final Brexit…