Scottish Business Briefing - Monday January 23, 2012
ENERGY & UTILITIES
Oil and gas sector powers jobs boost in north-east
FLOURISHING oil and gas services firms are winning new contracts and hiring more staff in Aberdeen. Heavy industry recruitment specialist Orion Group has boosted annual income by £20 million with two new contracts in the offshore sector with Canadian-based Nexen Petroleum (Scotsman).
FOOD, DRINK & AGRICULTURE
Major Indian investment in Scotch
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Hide AdThe Scottish whisky industry is set for a multi-million-pound investment boost from India as demand for the tipple grows unrelentingly on the subcontinent (Scotsman).
INDUSTRY
Clark wins £3m worth of contracts
A building firm has kicked off 2012 with a string of contract wins which are worth more than £3 million. The largest project secured by Clark Contracts is £860,000 from the Irvine Bay Regeneration company to design and build small business workshops in Irvine (Herald).
Castle buoyant despite pre-tax losses
AEROSPACE and defence manufacturer Castle Precision Engineering is expecting “massive dividends” from its long-term projects despite slipping to a pre-tax loss (Herald).
RETAIL
Asda to create 5,000 jobs in 2012
Supermarket chain Asda has announced plans to open 25 new stores and three depots, creating 5,000 jobs this year. An existing depot in Falkirk will be replaced (BBC).
TECHNOLOGY
Gaming industry starts fightback with move to lucrative new areas
LACK of investment has taken its toll on the UK games industry but Scotland is thought to be “ahead of the curve” in developing a new wave of simpler games aimed at mobile devices and social networking sites, which could be highly lucrative (Scotsman).