Scottish Business Briefing - Monday April 18, 2011

Published on Monday 18 April 2011 09:36

WELCOME to scotsman.com's Scottish Business Briefing. Every morning we bring you a comprehensive round-up of all news affecting business in Scotland today.

ECONOMY

Vacancies on the rise but pay increases are kept in check

DEMAND for staff has increased at its fastest pace since September 2007 as the recovery from the recession extends into the jobs market, figures show today (Scotsman)

Read all today's economics news from scotsman.com

ENERGY & UTILITIES

Investors mull further asset sale at BP if Rosneft's Arctic deal collapses

SOME of BP's biggest shareholders will press for the oil giant to ramp up its $30 billion (18.4bn) asset disposal programme if the $16bn Arctic joint venture with Russian state-controlled Rosneft is derailed (Scotsman).

Read all today's energy and utilities news from scotsman.com

BANKING & INSURANCE

Alliance Trust costs up as chief given 34%

ALLIANCE Trust, the be- leaguered giant of the fund industry, has revealed that chief executive Katherine Garrett-Cox enjoyed a 34% pay hike last year and that its battle with activist shareholder Laxey Partners has added significantly to 1 million to the company's expenses (Herald).

RBS braced for shareholder anger over bonuses

ROYAL Bank of Scotland is bracing itself for an investor protest at its annual meeting tomorrow after corporate governance advisory group Pirc condemned the group's executive pay plans and recommended shareholders oppose the remuneration report (Herald).

Read all today's banking news from scotsman.com

FOOD, DRINK & AGRICULTURE

Dram fine increase in distillery visitors

Whisky tourism has grown in Scotland over the past two years, with one industry leader reporting an increase of almost 20 per cent in visitor numbers (Scotsman).

Read all today's food, drink and agriculture news from scotsman.com

RETAIL

Morrisons fuels petrol price war by going the extra mile with discount

THE rising cost of fuel has inspired Morrisons to become the latest supermarket to offer loss leader fuel discounts in a bid to tempt shoppers through its doors. From Monday customers who spend more than 40 instore will qualify for 6p off every litre of petrol or diesel (Scotsman).

Read all today's retail news from scotsman.com