Scottish Business Briefing - Friday 31 August, 2012
FOOD, DRINK & AGRICULTURE
Chivas Regal whisky breaks one million case duty free barrier
RECORD duty free sales of its flagship brand capped a year of strong growth at Chivas Brothers, the premium whisky and gin business owned by France’s Pernod Ricard. Scotland’s second-largest distiller said shipments of Chivas Regal rose by 7 per cent (Scotsman).
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Offshore wind farm plan for over 300 turbines on Moray Firth unveiled
A CONTROVERSIAL plan to build the world’s largest offshore wind farm off the Scottish coast, with 339 turbines sited in the Moray Firth, has been unveiled. The proposal, which has attracted vocal opposition from campaigners including American tycoon Donald Trump, is significantly larger than a previous scheme, which would have seen as few as 200 turbines erected (Scotsman).
INDUSTRY
Sale talks raise hopes of saving 180 Hawick jobs
HOPES were raised yesterday that 180 jobs in Hawick would be saved after the administrator said it was “confident of achieving a sale” of the Barrie Knitwear business (Scotsman).
Engineering firms suffer fall in orders
SCOTTISH engineering companies suffered an overall fall in orders in the latest three months, while output growth slowed to a crawl after nine straight quarters of solid expansion, an industry survey reveals today (Herald).
Profits up 65% at Macfarlane
MACFARLANE Group has reported a 65% rise in half-year profits while also pressing ahead with expansion into Europe, paying down net debt and narrowing its pension deficit. The Glasgow firm reported a £500,000 drop in sales to £68 million after new business wins narrowly failed to offset a drop in demand (http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/company-news/profits-up-65-at-macfarlane.18730163|Scotsman|scotsman})
RETAIL
Ailing JJB Sports up for sale with rival sports chains poised to pounce
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Hide AdRIVAL sportswear chains are likely to pounce for parts of JJB Sports after the troubled retailer put itself up for sale and warned that investors may see the value of their shares wiped out in any rescue deal (Scotsman.