Management
ITV2 commissions second series by STV
ANALYSTS think shares in STV are undervalued by more than 75 per cent after the Glasgow-based broadcaster yesterday won a contract to supply a second series of comedy entertainment show Fake Reaction to ITV2.
Carney appoints Charlotte Hogg to Bank of England
INCOMING Bank of England governor Mark Carney yesterday began shaping his team by appointing Santander executive Charlotte Hogg to the newly-created post of chief operating officer.
Subsidy cut puts £23m of hydro schemes at risk
HYDRO-ELECTRIC power developments worth £23 million are at risk if the UK government presses ahead with changes to its subsidy system, according to trade body Scottish Renewables.
AstraZeneca turnaround plan may take four years, warns drugs chief
Turning around drug maker AstraZeneca will be a long haul, with a strategy of revamping research and boosting acquisitions to take up to four years to pay off, its chief executive said yesterday.
Renewables projects forge ahead
TWO renewable energy schemes moved a step closer to fruition yesterday, with a major offshore wind farm receiving planning consent for its onshore work, while a whisky-to-energy development in Rothes entered its final stages.
Busines news in brief: Adidas | ClydeUnion | Aldi | Lidl
Discount retailers Aldi and Lidl and higher-end Waitrose are taking more business away from Britain’s so-called “big four” grocers, as the market’s polarisation intensifies, monthly industry data reveals.
Famous Grouse maker in £10m expansion
FAMOUS Grouse maker Edrington is preparing to follow in the footsteps of larger rivals Diageo and Pernod Ricard by expanding its production as the whisky industry gears up to sate the continuing overseas thirst for Scotch.
Business briefs: Paterson’s | Leith Agency | BMW
SHORTBREAD maker Paterson’s has extended its work with supermarket giant Asda, which is becoming the first retailer to stock the firm’s new biscuits.
Federal Reserve chairmen’s tone of voice researched
THE tones of voice used by United States Federal Reserve chairmen when they deliver their speeches is enough to cause waves in the gold and silver markets, according to research from Edinburgh University.
Employment: Stronger demand for staff in Scotland
THE employment market north of the Border showed a “strong improvement” last month, according to a Bank of Scotland report published today.
People: Fundraisers enjoy an evening with a prince
THE Duke of Rothesay opened up the Palace of Holyroodhouse last week to welcome 100 Scottish businesswomen who have signed up to raise £1,000 each for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
Interview: Kirk Murdoch on McGrigors and Pinsent Masons
CAFE Royal in Edinburgh. It’s an early lunch and Kirk Murdoch is enjoying a pint of EPA. He may be one of Scotland’s top lawyers, but he feels right at home in a pub.
Angels £3m investment fund for recession-hit firms
TWO of Scotland’s best-known business angels are setting up an investment fund to inject money into later-stage companies that have lost steam during the recession.
Ediston sets sights on more Edinburgh projects
PROPERTY developer Ediston has its sights set on doing more deals in Edinburgh following the official launch of its £10 million speculative office development.
Investment strategy aims to tackle IT skills shortage
THE Scottish Government is poised to unveil a skills investment strategy for the IT and digital media sector in an effort to stem an impending crisis for talent that threatens to thwart growth.
1 comment
Comment: The future of the high street
FEW ready reckoners on our economic wellbeing are more closely followed than high-street shopping.
Business news in brief: IoD | Airbus | Regenersis | Wellcome Trust
The Institute of Directors (IoD) has appointed Nimble Thompson, the outgoing chairman of mechanical and electrical contractor NG Bailey, as its deputy chair.
Chivas Brothers unveils refurbished distillery
Chivas Brothers chief executive Christian Porta has signalled his commitment to building another distillery on Speyside despite recent falls in the Scotch industry’s exports.
Telesales firm to create 200 jobs at Glasgow site
AQUIRA, a direct marketing firm run by a former director of call centre operator HeroTSC, is creating 200 jobs in Glasgow following the opening of its offices at Pacific Quay.
NVIDIA and government lab develop super-computers
NVIDIA, one of the largest computer chip developers, yesterday sealed a deal with the UK government’s Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to develop the next generation of super-computers.
1 comment
Fund buys Miller apartments in move to expand rent portfolio
A RESIDENTIAL fund manager has acquired two blocks of apartments developed by Miller Homes which it will make available for rent.
Targeting Innovation to be owned by staff
Business support group Targeting Innovation has secured a string of contracts worth more than £500,000, paving the way for its transfer into a stand-alone operation owned by its staff.
Surfs up: Lawyer leaves profession for waves
A FORMER Scottish women’s surfing champion has given up her legal career to set up a surf school covering Aberdeen, Banff and Fraserburgh.
Business news in brief: Faroe | Homes for Scotland | Laura Ashley | Greencoat
Oil and gas explorer Faroe Petroleum has secured a share in a new licence in the Norwegian Barents Sea.
CareTech looks to Scotland to grow children’s services
Social care provider CareTech is expanding in Scotland as it focuses on organic growth following a series of acquisitions.
CNR pumping £300m to extend life of Ninian oil field
Canadian Natural Resources (CNR) yesterday unveiled plans to inject £300 million to extend the life of one of the oldest oil fields in the North Sea.
1 commentBusiness news in brief: Eagle Couriers | Bupa | HBJ Gateley
Former Labour health secretary Patricia Hewitt is to join private healthcare firm Bupa as a non-executive director on 1 July.
Law firm Ashurst to target 300 jobs in Glasgow
ASHURST, the international law firm that advised on this week’s Vue cinemas sale, is to create up to 300 jobs in Glasgow after being given a £2.4 million regional selective assistance (RSA) grant to move to the city.
Sir Roger Carr departing Centrica for BAE
Scottish Gas parent Centrica has begun the search for a new chairman after Sir Roger Carr confirmed he was leaving to join defence contractor BAE Systems.
University tie-ups could net companies £80m
PARTNERSHIPS between businesses and universities will generate £80 million a year for Scotland’s economy by 2018, more than four times their current level, according to a report published yesterday.
Convenience stores boost sales for McColl’s owner
Sales at Martin Retail Group, the Glasgow-based operator of the McColl’s and RS McColl chains, have edged up after the company converted more of its newsagent branches into convenience stores.
Alvie estate secures funding for expansion
A HIGHLAND estate has secured £200,000 to expand its adventure activities, including bushcraft skills, paintball, quad biking and a 1.5-kilometre zip wire course.
Comment: Barr-Britvic merger may have lost its fizz
WHEN Irn-Bru maker AG Barr’s £1.4 billion merger with Britvic was referred to the Competition Commission in February the English group’s chairman Gerald Corbett blustered: “If this is industrial policy, I’m a Frenchman.”
Braveheart expands investment reach in northern England
Perth-based investment group Braveheart is to expand its presence in the north of England following a recent deal to operate the Yorkshire Association of Business Angels (Yaba).
Johnston Press launch recruitment service with STV
JOHNSTON Press, owner of The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and Edinburgh Evening News, has launched a recruitment service in conjunction with broadcaster STV.
Bill Gates increases holding in G4S
BILL Gates has paid £16 million to raise his stake in G4S, the security giant that is looking to bounce back from a blunder over its staffing of the 2012 Olympics.
AstraZeneca in $1.15bn Pearl Therapeutics deal
PHARMA giant AstraZeneca splashed out $1.15 billion (£740 million) on rival Pearl Therapeutics yesterday in its continued efforts to revitalise its diminishing product pipeline.
Canada’s funds add Vue to list of asset deals
HUNGRY Canadian pension funds have been escalating their acquisition of US and European assets since the emergence of the global financial crisis made them attractive and well-funded investors.
Business briefs: Findus | ECB | Manufacturers funding
FINDUS, the frozen food giant hit by the horsemeat scandal, is this week expected to launch a £410 million bond in an effort to improve its balance sheet.
People: Jocky Scott | Stuart MacLennan
AFTER a 50-year career both on the pitch and in the dugout, Aberdeen and Dundee football legend Jocky Scott is trying his hand at a new career.
Interview: Samantha Barber, Iberdrola
THERE are supposed to be more women on the boards of big companies in the UK by now but, two years after a UK government-appointed panel set a target for wider representation, progress has stalled.
Strip EU directives of ‘gold-plating’, says IoD report
THE Institute of Directors (IoD) has called on ministers to strip European Union (EU) regulations that have been integrated into UK laws of their “gold-plating” to ease the burden on firms.
1 commentManagers expected to act ‘unethically’ in workplace
MORE than 60 per cent of managers have come under pressure to behave unethically at work, according to a report published today.
Collbio seals £250k funding to relaunch business
LIFE sciences firm Collbio, which rose from the ashes of collapsed parent Angel Biotechnology, has secured more than £250,000 from private investors to relaunch its business.
Scotland’s economy: Domestic orders give boost
SCOTLAND’S economic recovery will be given a boost this morning when figures reveal the biggest jump in business activity for more than two years amid a raft of positive reports on the health of the broader UK economy.
6 comments
Comment: Check your nest eggs but only for ‘smart beta’
IT’S time, it seems, to fill your boots with “smart beta”. This is the new, or nearly new, “must-have”. It certainly sounds better than “dumb alpha”.
FTSE coming under increasing pressure
Confidence in the FTSE-100 index is low, with more than two thirds of CMC Markets’ clients expecting further falls from last month’s near all-time high.
Drinks sector chief to urge Holyrood policy change
ONE of the European drinks industry’s most senior voices will this week turn up the heat on the Scottish Government over its “quick-fix” plans to tackle binge drinking.
2 commentsTraders in revolt over levy hike
TRADERS in South Queensferry are in dispute over plans to raise the business improvement district (Bid) levy.
1 comment
Edinburgh pair create restaurant POS iPad app
TWO Edinburgh men have launched an app for the restaurant and bar trade which is expected to bring in revenues of £400,000 in its first year and aims to save users money.
3 comments
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Weather for Edinburgh
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
