Headwinds batter Scottish high streets despite sales rise
Scotland’s high streets eked out some modest growth last month though the result was massaged by the timing of Easter while the retail sector continues to face a “number of headwinds”, experts warned.
Encouraging the next tech smart generation means starting interest early. Meet Marty, the little interactive robot who teaches kids to code.
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Toy retailer boss blames rates for high street struggle
The boss of toy retailer The Entertainer has condemned Britain’s soaring business rates, saying the UK government must take some responsibility for casualties on the high street.
Toys R Us will shut its final stores in just under two weeks, resulting in the loss of more than 2,000 jobs, the retailer’s administrators have confirmed.
Jim Duffy comment: Airport operators flying sky high with pricing
Flying used to be fun and so did a trip to the airport. But, nowadays we are treated less as passengers, but as lucrative commodities there to be exploited.
The popularity of coffee shops is showing no signs of abating with more than three cafes opening per day on average across the UK, according to new research.
Insight: Is in-store shopping past its sell-by in Scotland?
For high streets, retail parks and malls to survive the growing roll call of closures, tenants will have to be even leaner or offer something very different, writes Jane Bradley
Leader: Let the high street diversify rather than disappear
Britain’s high streets have their roots in Victorian times, when the industrial revolution lured families to towns and cities for work. Without land, they had to rely on shops for food.
Stephen Jardine: Bruno’s Italian in Dumfries started my love of food
I have a rotten memory. Despite that I can still tell you exactly what I had for dinner on every big family birthday when I was a child. Here is the menu in full.
One in four Scots consume half a day’s sugar by 11am
One in four Scots reach half their daily recommended sugar allowance of eight teaspoons of sugar by 11am – with more than one million people north of the Border consuming a sugar-packed fruit juice or fizzy drink in the morning.
Watchdog calls for plastic-backed fridges to be taken off market
A watchdog has called for plastic-backed fridges to be “urgently” removed from sale after finding they pose a fire risk and could even hasten the spread of a blaze.
David Spaven: Rail could take the strain off our roads
Transport Scotland’s 2017 guide to rail freight – Delivering Your Goods – highlighted the crucial role played by rail in the transport of whisky from Scotland to foreign markets.
Derek Halden: Beast from the East was a wake-up call for society
In the recent winter disruption, the message from the government was that only essential travel should be made. How do people and businesses know whether their travel is essential to society?
More than 21,000 UK jobs have been axed in the first three months of the year as retail store closures, company restructurings and Carillion’s collapse resulted in a bleak quarter.