Scottish Business Briefing - Friday 21 September, 2012
BANKING
Edinburgh office of Leapfrog’s £15m investment in micro-insurance
THE Edinburgh office of global social investment fund LeapFrog has brokered a $15 million (£9.3m) investment in a company that provides low-cost insurance products to millions of people in rural India. (Scotsman)
ECONOMICS
CBI raises hopes of end to recession
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHopes that the UK economy has emerged from the double-dip recession were boosted yesterday as a survey showed an improvement in the outlook for manufacturers. (Press and Journal)
ENERGY & UTILITIES
Xcite delivers ‘successful’ tests on Bentley oil well
XCITE Energy, the Aberdeen-based driller developing the giant Bentley field in the North Sea, has completed initial tests on the oil well, sparking talk of a partner coming in to help develop the project. (Scotsman)
FOOD, DRINK & AGRICULTURE
Printer toasts boom in whisky industry
VENERABLE Glasgow printer John Watson & Company achieved a near-20% hike in turnover and raised its profits in its last financial year, in the teeth of a double-dip UK recession, as it benefited from boom times in the Scotch whisky industry. (Herald)
MANAGEMENT
Few medals for Scots firms after Olympic benefit passes them by
FOUR out of five Scottish businesses failed to get any sort of boost from the Olympic Games, according to new research, as further evidence mounted that retailers also failed to benefit from the event. (Scotsman)
RETAIL
Venture firm Scottish Equity Partners’s £12m Matches investment
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdSCOTTISH Equity Partners (SEP), the Glasgow-based venture capital firm, yesterday bought a £12 million stake in luxury fashion chain Matches in the latest in a string of investments in fast-growing online brands. (Scotsman)