Business
Exporters seek ‘front line help’ from Osborne
GEORGE Osborne must use next month’s spending review to boost “front line” support for exporters, business chiefs have warned, after a major survey laid bare the pitfalls facing firms that trade overseas.
Bolland under pressure over M&S relaunch costs
MARKS & Spencer boss Marc Bolland will aim to soothe City concerns this week over the cost of relaunching the retailer’s range of clothing as the chief executive aims to stem the chain’s decline in profits.
Unsettling climate of EU disunity
IT WAS a week that epitomised Britain’s fractious and sometimes turbulent relationship with the European Union. In Washington, Prime Minister David Cameron was promoting free trade between the trading bloc and the United States, while at home his ministers and backbenchers were squabbling over whether Britain should cancel its membership.
Comment: Changing of guard bodes ill for FirstGroup
THE expected retirement this week of Martin Gilbert as chairman of transport operator FirstGroup follows similar announcements over the last month from Lord Smith at Weir, Sir Win Bischoff at Lloyds Banking Group and Richard Findlay at STV. The guard is clearly changing.
Headhunters seek new finance chief for Standard Life
STANDARD Life has appointed international recruitment specialist JCA Group to search for a chief financial officer following the departure last month of Jackie Hunt.
Homeowners miss cheaper loan deals
HOMEOWNERS in Scotland are missing out on a golden opportunity to slash costs by failing to take advantage of rock-bottom mortgage rates, it has been claimed.
Bill Jamieson: Finally, the recovery gains traction
WHAT now unites Alex Salmond, the CBI, Sir Mervyn King, the OECD and the Federation of Small Businesses? It’s the economy, stupid.
2 commentsGolden opportunity for Goodwins
RISING gold prices, combined with a downturn in the retail sector, have opened up new opportunities for an Edinburgh antiques dealer.
Mobile app aims to cut wind farms opposition
ONE of the software pioneers behind property website Myhouseprice.com has created a mobile app that could slash millions of pounds from the cost of developing wind farms.
Government ‘saved bacon’ of builders
THE outgoing chairman of trade body Homes for Scotland has credited the Scottish Government for having “saved our bacon” during the recession, which decimated small to medium-sized housebuilders.
AvantiCell seals Japan contract
LIFE sciences outfit Avanti-Cell has broken into the Japanese market by securing a contract that the Ayrshire-based company hopes will open further doors for it in the Far East.
Gilbert to step down at FirstGroup
MARTIN Gilbert is expected to announce his retirement as chairman of transport operator FirstGroup this week when the company might also unveil plans to raise up to £600 million and a sharp cut in its dividend.
SSE profit rise forecast as chief retires
SSE CHIEF executive Ian Marchant will attempt this week to draw a line under the company’s mis-selling scandal, putting an end to what has been an uncomfortable close to his ten-year tenure.
MPC ‘still split’ over more QE
BANK of England policy-makers are likely to have remained divided this month on whether to pump more money into the economy.
Quindell forced to act after shares fall
OUTSOURCING group Quindell has seen significant volatility in its shares in recent days.
Savers squeezed out by low interest rates
THEY pledged to get Britain saving again. In reality they’ve achieved quite the opposite, punishing prudence and removing incentives to save.
Verizon deal forms backdrop to Vodafone results
VODAFONE’S full-year results are being released on Tuesday amid continued speculation over a deal with its American partner.
ITV chief urged to splash out on more programmes
ITV chief executive Adam Crozier is coming under increasing pressure to “splash the cash” by snapping up other production companies and investing in its own programmes.
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Sir Tom Hunter poised to seal Canadian acquisition
SIR Tom Hunter’s West Coast Capital is involved in a sizeable acquisition in Canada that is close to reaching agreement.
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UK’s vote on Europe ‘puts off investors’
PRESSURE to force a referendum on Europe is threatening Britain’s status as a safe bet for international investment, according to a key City figurehead.
4 commentsRBS and Lloyds outline plans to go private
THE charm offensive by Britain’s two part-nationalised banks will continue this week as Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland attempt to convince investors they are ready to revert to private ownership.
1 commentNovia Financial eye further push into Scotland
A FINANCIAL technology firm that provides key products for insurance and pensions group Aegon is eyeing a further push into Scotland.
Comment: Co-op needs review after bank debacle
JUST a few weeks ago the Co-operative was poised to become a new force in banking by acquiring more than 630 branches from Lloyds. Now it is contemplating the future of its own financial services operations.
Cash help for firms to cut energy bills
BUSINESS Secretary Vince Cable is encouraging firms to seize the chance of government match-funding to increase their energy efficiency and better compete with US rivals benefiting from America’s shale gas revolution.
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QikServe food app in InnSuites US hotels deal
A TECHNOLOGY firm that has helped to deliver food to Butlins holidaymakers and Heart of Midlothian football fans has sealed its first deal in the United States.
Edinburgh-based FanDuel heads for the black
A SCOTTISH internet company that provides “fantasy sports” games to American customers has made a pair of senior appointments as it predicts it will be profitable by the end of the year.
Banking buyout opens up Tesco and Sainsbury’s battle
SAINSBURY’S decision to buy out its banking joint venture partner last week has opened up a new battle for the supermarket shopper.
Coutu to pump ‘significant sum’ into Scottish firm
SHERRY Coutu, the Canadian entrepreneur and angel investor, has revealed plans to invest a significant sum in a high-growth Scottish firm.
Drilling to begin at Paraguay oil assets
OIL firm President Energy recently said it believed progress at its interests in Paraguay was set to lead to a step-change at the company.
Credit unions take on payday lenders
CREDIT unions in Scotland are targeting both banks and payday lenders following the launch of a scheme aimed at boosting membership of the mutuals.
1 commentDixons Retail to reveal continuing surge in sales
MORE sales cheer is on the cards from PC World and Currys parent Dixons Retail when it updates on trading on Thursday as it continues to benefit from the demise of rival Comet and a booming tablet computer market.
Jeff Salway: Anger growing over behaviour of banks
WE CAN call it the “Goodwin effect” if you like. I’m referring to the growing propensity of people in Scotland to complain about the banks.
Bill Jamieson: Treasury tense as team IMF flies in
WHERE is the fragrant Christine Lagarde? And where is “Team IMF” which flew into the UK last Wednesday for a week-long assessment of the UK’s books?
How Clyde shipyard technology created the ultrasound
Shipyard equipment, maverick characters and bits of Meccano ... Dani Garavelli reports on the amazing birth of the ultrasound scan
Group gives backing to women’s enterprise minister
A BUSINESS group will this week endorse calls for the Scottish Government to bring in a women’s enterprise minister in an effort to boost the flagging economy.
Bank of Scotland to reinstate managers in 80 branches
BANK of Scotland is to reinstate managers in 80 of its branches in a move designed to rekindle closer customer relationships.
6 commentsOffice take-up on rise in Scotland’s big cities
SCOTLAND’S big cities are drawing increasing levels of investment into commercial property in a sign of renewed optimism in the sector.
Australia ‘one of worst offenders’ for fake Scotch
LAWYERS have branded Australia as “one of the worst markets for the sale of fake Scotch whisky” and have applied to register the spirit as a certification trademark to protect Scotland’s national drink “Down Under”.
3 commentsPhoenix mulling further expansion in Scotland
DISASTER recovery specialist Phoenix is mulling further expansion in Scotland following a £2 million upgrade to its site in South Lanarkshire.
Market watch: BT bids to silence City doubters
THE imminent move by BT into Premier League broadcasting is expected to take centre stage when telecoms giant unveils fourth-quarter and full-year results on Friday.
Cook school owner branching out into goat farming
A COOKERY school owner is branching out into goat farming after discovering a gap in the market that means most male kids are treated as a waste product.
SE finds buyer for plant at BioCampus science park
SCOTTISH Enterprise (SE) has finally found a buyer for its manufacturing plant on the BioCampus science park at Penicuik, which has lain empty for more than a decade in a “bargain basement deal”.
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Comment: Privatisation of RBS sends the right message
HURRAH! Britain’s bailed-out banks are back in profit and on the road to recovery. So can we now have our money back, please?
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Scots sporran makers threat from Pakistan imports
ONE of Scotland’s age-old crafts is in danger of disappearing under a barrage of cheap Asian imports after a European court upheld a ban on sealskin, traditionally favoured by sporran makers.
2 commentsActuaries warn of ‘London whale’ loss repeat
FINANCIAL institutions risk repeating the multi-billion pound losses linked to a former trader known as the “London whale” due to human errors with figures, according to a survey by trade magazine Actuarial Post.
Investors in US to buy into AG Barr
IRN-Bru maker AG Barr is tipped to become more popular with investors in the United States after Bank of New York Mellon launched a scheme making it easier for Americans to trade its stock.
1 commentHow to boost your chances of getting a mortgage
THE days of lying to obtain a mortgage are back as a growing number of borrowers and brokers respond to stricter lending criteria by filing false loan applications.
Jeff Salway: Flood victims face insurance nightmare
HOME insurance is one of those financial products that’s taken for granted; it’s essential but it’s easily available and usually affordable. Where would homeowners be without it?
Bill Jamieson: Daring to hope the worst is past
AT LAST, a chink in the gloom – or more accurately three arriving all at once. Could the economy at last be on the turn?
Technology firm Indigovision working on recovery
TECHNOLOGY firm Indigovision “still has a lot to fix” since its chief executive and founder left in an acrimonious boardroom bust-up in 2011.
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Weather for Edinburgh
Sunday 19 May 2013
Today
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Temperature: 9 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: North east
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Cloudy
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