Scottish Business Briefing – April 4th 2013

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.

BANKING

Four former RBS bosses facing £4bn legal wrangle

FRED Goodwin and three other former Royal Bank of Scotland directors were yesterday served with a £4 billion lawsuit by a powerful shareholder action group. The proceedings relate to alleged financial misrepresentation in the bank’s controversial £12bn rights issue in April 2008.

ECONOMICS

Scottish economy ‘barely growing’, say new figures

SCOTLAND’S economy is barely growing as businesses continue to struggle against weak demand and the continuing threat of fall-out from the eurozone debt crisis. Figures released today show a marginal improvement during the three months to the end of February, though the majority of readings remain in negative territory.

Edinburgh and Glasgow ‘to enjoy rental growth’

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

EDINBURGH and Glasgow are set to buck the UK trend in the commercial property market this year as two surveys show the take-up of relatively under-supplied prime units is increasing. A survey by accountant Deloitte predicts “significant rental market growth” in 2013, while property agency Jones Lang LaSalle said it was seeing increasing demand for prime industrial units while supply was falling..

INDUSTRY

Independence ‘could risk 4,000 Scots shipyard jobs’

UP to 4,000 jobs could be lost at Scottish shipyards as UK warships are built elsewhere after independence, the Westminster government has claimed. The official UK government reponse to the Commons Scottish affairs select committee’s investigation into the impact of independence says shipyards on the Clyde and at Rosyth will not be eligible to bid for defence contracts after independence.

Contract progress puts Babcock in line to hit expectations

BABCOCK International, which operates the Rosyth dockyard and the Faslane base, has reported “strong progress” on 12 months ago and says it should meet full-year expectations. Babcock said its bid pipeline had risen by £1.5 billion to £15.5bn since it updated the market two months ago, while order books, still at around £12bn, helped to “provide excellent visibility of future revenue streams across the group”.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/company-news/contract-progress-puts-babcock-in-line-to-hit-expectations.20546725

MEDIA & LEISURE

SCOTSMAN CONFERENCE

The Future of the Media in Scotland – 9 April, Edinburgh

Only a few days left to secure your delegate places! Join delegates from across the marketing, communication and advertising industry at this unmissable event. Top speakers will debate the big issues facing Scotland’s media in the 21st Century.

(The Scotsman Conferences)

TECHNOLOGY

US medical firm Daktari Diagnostics to create 126 Scots jobs

A US-based medical products company is to locate its manufacturing base to Inverness, creating up to 126 posts. Daktari Diagnostics is set to produce cartridges for hand-held HIV monitoring devices at the new Scottish base from next yea

Related topics: