Discounts site set for Edinburgh launch

A WEBSITE offering discounts on meals and adventure activities as well as invitations to events will be launching in Edinburgh by the end of the month.

Itison Deals is the brainchild of entrepreneur Oli Norman, who believes the idea, a spin-out from his PR firm Dada, will bring in 2.3 million in its first year of trading. It has already launched in Glasgow and he plans to introduce the concept to Dundee and Aberdeen before pushing into the English market by launching in Manchester.

The concept is relatively simple. Itison offers restaurants, tourism businesses, retailers and other service providers the chance to offer discounts to its database of tens of thousands of registered users. It is free for both the business and the users, but Itison takes a cut on the deal sold. Norman said the firm grossed 40,000 in its first two weeks of operation in Glasgow.

"A recession is the perfect time to launch this business," he said.

Users have included the Malmaison Hotel, and Natalie Maynard, business development manager for Malmaison, said the hotel was "overwhelmed" by the response.