Business

The outlook for retailers is rather miserable ahead of the critical festive trading period - also known, optimistically, as the golden quarter.

Worrying data reveals state of Scotland’s retail sector ahead of golden quarter
“It is clear households are deeply concerned about the cost of living and economising in response” – Ewan MacDonald-Russell, SRC
Scott Reid

Inivinity’s Bathgate plant

Exclusive Labour told to stop energy firm which vowed 1,000 jobs from leaving UK

ASCO workers on the quayside

How North Sea expertise could transform defence logistics

A cyber attack on critical infrastructure could put the safety of the nation at risk (Picture: stock.adobe.com)

Cyber security is now a whole-of-state effort

SNP leader John Swinney as his party braces to debate its position on North Sea oil and gas

Exclusive SNP told to give 'full-throated support' to drilling amid oil split

Scotsman Insider - actionable insight on Scottish business

Flotation Energy

Who are Scotland's fastest growing renewable companies?

Five Scottish Renewables 50 firms profiled

Insider Media

Winners announced for the 2026 Made in Scotland Awards

GroGreen

Five Scottish companies tipped for scale up growth

Graeme Miller of S&W

Scotland has hundreds of innovative firms stuck in second gear

The GRID coverage area

How GRID is tackling Scotland’s scaling problem, one cluster at a time

Ad Feature Podcast: the circular economy and competitive business advantage

Farming

Demands for £183m Scottish Government boost to farming

Sheep grazing at Shemore Farm in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park

Three Loch Lomond farms chosen to future-proof food production

Sheep at Glensaugh Research Farm. Picture: The James Hutton Institute

Researchers to hold bluetongue virus workshops for livestock keepers

You don’t have to farm to have a stake in farming John Davidson

Record-breaking cable ducts completed at giant North Sea wind farm
“The completion of this colossal horizontal directional drilling is a huge achievement - quite literally” – Ross Ovens, ScottishPower Renewables

Aberdeen on track for best year of office space take-up since pandemic

40-bedroom hotel next to busy Scottish airport up for grabs for £1.6m

Construction of a supercomputer at a site near Roslin, Midlothian, is now well underway with operation due to start in 2028. PIC: University of Edinburgh

Scots software breakthrough could spur big quantum computer advance

SumUp's Tap to Pay feature allows small businesses and side hustlers to accept contactless card payments directly on a compatible smartphone, without needing a separate card reader.

How to turn your smartphone into a card reader

Lerwick Harbour

Norwegian vessel lands half of Shetland's quota in one day

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has spoken about Russian interference (Christopher Furlong/PA)

Analysis Burnham faces crucial test that will define leadership in Scotland

Singapore funding partnership agreed to help tackle Scotland’s housing shortage

Exclusive The five North Sea projects waiting in pipeline if Jackdaw approved

David J Alexander is CEO of DJ Alexander Scotland Ltd (Picture: Laurence Winram)

Kemi Badenoch’s inheritance tax plan is bold and welcome

Scottish shopping centre at heart of community life since 1980s sold for £21m

Taxpayer-backed SNIB leads £3.4m funding for Glasgow robotic surgery specialist

RBS takes wraps off historic Edinburgh branch after £520,000 transformation

EU ‘indispensable’ as Scottish red meat exports hit record £190m

A group of former Rockstar employees are claiming unfair dismissal from the video games developer (Jane Barlow/PA)

I did not keep tabs on union membership, Rockstar chief tells tribunal

The new service helps businesses discover how they are being found by customers

Free tool showing local businesses how customers really find them

Winter flights to European capitals unveiled by Ryanair from Edinburgh

St Andrews luxury hotel closes doors as company goes into liquidation

Project Slingshot wants M&S to stop selling farmed salmon

Salmon Scotland accuses campaign group of lack of transparency

Scottish city welcomes 54,000 cruise ship tourists in record 2026 season

Third of Scottish firms say economic conditions better now than a year ago

ScotGov’s Techscaler sends founders on investor missions to London and Paris

Andy Burnham has vowed to take a ‘pragmatic’ approach to the North Sea

Failure to approve Rosebank and Jackdaw 'could cost economy £10.8bn'

An aerial view of the the development under way at the Clyde gateway site

Infrastructure must come first for sustainable growth

Revealed: Weapons factory planned for former Fife chemical site

Stephen Emerson, Scotsman Insider Editor; Michelle Thomson businesswoman, former Falkirk MSP/Edinburgh MP; Lauren Ridgley project manager, Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce; Charlie Woods board member, Economic Development Association Scotland; Stephen Boyd Scottish director of the Institute for Public Policy Research Scotland; Susan Murray director, David Hume Institute; Ciaran McGuigan chief executive, Zero Waste Scotland

Ad Feature Circular economy a ‘crown jewel’ as businesses grasp opportunity

Grocery delivery platform gets snappy with seven-figure Virgin Money facility

150 jobs in aviation boom around once-threatened Prestwick airport

Andy Burnham had backed further local devolution

Scottish businesses back English-style metro mayors, survey suggests

Floating wind farms make use of the huge blades fitted to towers hundreds of feet in height.

Exclusive GB Energy to continue investment in Scotland's floating wind projects

Glasgow Prestwick Airport has been in Scottish government ownership for several years now

Aerospace company announces £57million expansion at Prestwick Airport

Parents driving up sales of screen-free toys this Christmas

Exclusive Stalled wind projects risk leaving Scottish ports as 'stranded assets'

Claudia Preiss is a Trainee Solicitor, Balfour+Manson

‘Informed consent’ is key for medics and patients

Laura Tainsh is a Partner and Head of Environment, Davidson Chalmers Stewart (Picture: Paul Bock)

Collaboration vital for Scotland’s waste management sector

Catherine McWilliam, Nations Director at IoD Scotland (Picture: Mike Wilkinson)

Rural Scotland’s ceiling is higher than resilience

For use in UK, Ireland or Benelux countries only Undated BBC handout photo of Claudia Winkleman on The Celebrity Traitors, which returns for its second series this evening. Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the game will follow the 21 celebrity contestants as they try to seek out the traitors among them who kill off players in the middle of the night. Issue date: Thursday October 1, 2026. (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry/PA Wire)

Banishment in the workplace just got more tricky

Equinor, which owns and operates the pioneering Hywind scheme, is bidding to build new floating wind turbines off the Scottish coast as part of the Scottish Government's plans to increase the amount of wind energy generated offshore. Picture: Michal Wachucik

Exclusive £50bn floating wind industry in crisis talks as contracts cull awaited

Use a speed checker if your pet is frustrated by the slowness with which amusing human memes appear on screen (Picture: Adobe)

Are you getting the best out of your broadband?

Executives must accept responsibility for cyber security as AI gets smarter (Picture: Shutterstock)

AI security is now a boardroom emergency

Why property investors are snapping up Scotland’s retail warehouses

Scottish small business growth forecasts rise for first time in 2026

Gillian Gourlay, Katarzyna Jaszczak and Karen Ford have joined the team at Just Financial

Just Financial Group strengthens team with three new appointments

Scottish accountancy heavyweight brings together 60 new starters

Floating wind farms make use of the huge blades fitted to towers hundreds of feet in height.

Exclusive 'Window closing' for Scotland to lead world on floating offshore wind

Edinburgh has the highest number of all-sector newbuild completions at 2,458 (Picture: stock.adobe.com)

It’s Groundhog Day for Scotland’s newbuild sector

Boost for Edinburgh office market as project completes next to city rail station

Insider Media

Shortlists announced for Scotland Dealmakers Awards 2026

Anders Opedal, president of Norwegian state-owned energy company Equinor, has warned bills are likely to stay high (Picture: Karim Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images)

Equinor boss questions UK investment if North Sea drilling is denied

Many spinouts start with lab-proven technology that’s still untested at scale (Picture: stock.adobe.com)

Scotland’s spinouts are falling behind on funding

The Changemakers 2025 event included Beth Shriever MBE being interviewed by Petra Cameron of NatWest.

Ad Feature Invitation to dynamic day of action

Fraser of Allander Institute

Majority of firms say Scottish Government doesn’t understand business

Recent Scottish government figures showed new home completions down 11 per cent over the last year (Picture: stock.adobe.com)

Collaboration is our only route out of Scotland’s housing crisis

We've listed the top 10 highest-rated items in the Sainsbury's Taste the Difference range - and there are definitely some surprises

These are the 10 items Sainsbury's poshest shoppers love the most

Should Scottish government funds help new entrants secure a farming tenancy, asks Lorna McKay

Let’s help young farmers waiting for a break

Complexities can arise in what may seem a straightforward case, says Andrew Gilmour

When a case isn’t as simple as it seems

Get the fine print right and avoid problems down the line (Picture: Adobe)

The reality of a safe contract

Anne Sammon says employers will be able to reject requests only where it is reasonable to do so

How to accommodate requests for change

Torness nuclear power station is due to close in 2030 (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell)

Tories vow to change law to override SNP on new nuclear power