Wine seller goes under

THE country's oldest surviving wine merchant, Edinburgh-based Cockburns of Leith, has gone into administration.

Ernst and Young has taken control of the Haymarket business, which was founded in 1796. Famous customers have included Sir Walter Scott and Charles Dickens.

Colin Borland, a spokesman for the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland, reportedly said: "It is nothing new that small independent retailers are finding it difficult to compete."