Scottish Business Briefing - Tuesday 3 September, 2012
INSURANCE
Direct Line talks up profit hopes as insurer gears up for flotation
INSURANCE group Direct Line, which is gearing up for a stock market flotation, said on Monday that it expects to become more profitable as it breaks its ties with parent company Royal Bank of Scotland (Scotsman).
ECONOMICS
Order books manufacture hopes for a slow recovery
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Hide AdHopes that the UK can crawl out of recession this autumn were boosted yesterday after manufacturers reported a solid rebound in order activity last month. The latest Markit/Cips purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to a four-month high as domestic clients increased orders during August (Scotsman).
MEDIA & LEISURE
Cupid’s making eyes at further expansion in overseas markets
ONLINE dating company Cupid is eyeing further overseas growth opportunities after seeing its sales from “new” markets such as France, Italy and North America more than double during the first six months of the year (Scotsman).
Barrhead Travel makes move into supermarkets
FAST expanding Barrhead Travel is hiring a further 75 staff as it gears up to open several mini-branches in supermarkets. Scotland’s largest independent travel operator has already invested in 11 branches in the past 12 months – including its first base in England (Herald).
TRANSPORT
Branson halts £13 billion West Coast rail deal in its tracks
A LEGAL challenge from Virgin Rail has delayed the UK government’s controversial plans to hand a multi-billion pound contract to rival bidder FirstGroup (Scotsman).
Dalcross invests in equipment upgrade
Highland freight-forwarding and airport service business Dalcross Holdings has said it has invested £600,000 in new equipment this year to meet customer demand (P&J).