Business briefs: Highland Spring | carpetronic | Aga

BOTTLED water firm Highland Spring has hired former Vion Food Group executive Mark Steven to be its finance director.

The Perthshire-based firm, which last week unveiled a deal to supply the 2014 Ryder Cup, said the appointment was part of its strategy to grow turnover to more than £100 million a year.

A University of Aberdeen-educated chartered accountant, Steven was previously chief financial officer at Vion and operations finance director of Grampian Country Food Group. He has worked in the US and Thailand and held various roles in the UK food and drink sector.

Carpet firm rolls out new product

carpetronic, the Renfrewshire-based flooring firm, is extending its product line and hiring workers following a new loan deal with Clydesdale Bank.

The firm, which numbers the Royal Yacht Britannia among its clients, has secured £120,000 of funding from Clydesdale, under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme. The company’s directors are providing matched funding.

The company said the loan has allowed it to extend its product offering from traditional soft flooring to include tiling and wood.

Aga sales fired up by housing rebound

Britain’s housing market recovery is spurring on a sales revival for cast iron cooker maker Aga Rangemaster after years of difficult trading.

The group behind the distinctive Aga ovens said the “tide is turning” as house sales gather pace, boosted by government schemes to increase mortgage availability and the recently launched Help to Buy initiative.

Aga Rangemaster said it was on track to post a full-year profit after a sales recovery since April. Sales fell 4 per cent in the first three months of 2013, but jumped 5 per cent in Q2.

Boat builder calls in the administrators

Coastal Marine, a boat builder based in Eyemouth, yesterday sank into administration, putting 32 jobs at risk.

Sonny Cohen, Mark Phillips and Julie Swan, all partners at accountancy firm Pitman Cohen Recoveries, were appointed as joint administrators.

Phillips said: “This unfortunate situation has come about due to the reduction in the local fishing fleet, coupled with the loss of the repair of the local Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) vessel, which we understand has now been centralised across the RNLI fleet.”