Business
Pensions with a difference as rules change
DENMARK’S largest pension fund is targeting tens of thousands of Scottish businesses by offering pensions for low-income workers not being wooed by other providers in advance of new auto-enrolment rules.
Jeff Salway: ‘Ambulance chasers’ profit from PPI rip-off
THEY’VE been dubbed the “ambulance chasers” of financial services, but those famously opportunistic accident scene lawyers may feel the comparison is a little harsh.
Director Dealings: Water deal in China keeps cash flowing
HALOSOURCE, which specialises in technology for water purification, recently announced a push into the Chinese market.
Room with a view to raise cash
THE number of Scots renting out their spare rooms has rocketed as more people turn to their homes for a much-needed income boost.
Market Watch: Oil giant recovering from Deepwater Horizon disaster
OIL giant BP should provide some cheer to the markets as the high oil price helps it emerge from the shadow of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Barber discovers fringe benefits of generous angels
A FORMER internet entrepreneur is turning his hand to hairdressing after securing a “significant six-figure sum” from business angels to launch a chain of barbers’ shops and his own range of “male grooming” products.
East meets Ness in fashion export bid
FASHION chain Ness Clothing is preparing to export its clothes and accessories into the Far East after sealing a six-figure financing deal.
Plan to make Gladstone family legacy a job-spinner for North-east
PLANS to turn the family estate of former Prime Minister Sir William Gladstone into a tourist and leisure venue could create 275 jobs and generate more than £1m a year for the Aberdeenshire economy, according to a feasibility study.
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Smart card specialist secures £20m deal
SMART card developer Ecebs has landed a contract worth up to £20 million that signals its first big push into overseas markets.
Twig branches out in Spain and S America
GLASGOW production house Twig has signed another international distribution deal that will put its educational science films on sale in 40,000 schools across Latin America and Spain.
Employees take over at Stewart-Buchanan
SPECIALIST manufacturer, Stewart-Buchanan group, has become an employee owned business in a move that safeguards 150 jobs.
Soames opposition puzzles analyst
HE HAS delivered stellar returns for Aggreko shareholders since taking charge, led the Glasgow-based company into the FTSE 100 with a market cap bigger than Sainsbury’s, and overseen its rise to become the world’s largest supplier of temporary power.
Lloyds and RBS set for profit return
City expects part-taxpayer owned banks to shrug off bad debts in Ireland and claims for PPI mis-selling
1 commentSenior officers appointed as Skyscanner targets $1bn
FLIGHT comparison website Skyscanner has appointed Mark Logan as its chief operating officer as the Edinburgh-based firm plots a course to become Scotland’s first $1 billion online company.
Dreamliner nightmare is over
BOEING has unveiled the first 787 Dreamliner manufactured at its South Carolina assembly plant, a factory at the centre of a recent manufacturing glitch that threatened to disrupt production targets.
High streets hit by prosperity gap as retailers abandon ailing towns
SCOTLAND’S high streets are suffering from a widening prosperity gap as investment is increasingly focused on key locations.
Bill Jamieson: Chill winds could wreck UK recovery
‘We are not just flying through one of the stormiest and most turbulent periods in modern history, but flying blind’
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ByPost founder seeks £300k from crowd funding
SERIAL entrepreneur Luke Heron is seeking to raise £300,000 to expand his ByPost venture by tapping into the burgeoning “crowd funding” investment market.
1 commentGame review: Street Fighter X Tekken
Perhaps the world’s two best-loved beat ’em ups go head-to-head and fist-to-fist in this cross-company super brawl.
Recruitment: Friends carry high value in job market
IF YOU are looking for a job, the old adage still bears true: It’s not what you know it’s who you know. And having a friend to recommend you is still a good way to secure employment.
Jeff Salway: QE penny has taken too long to drop for bankers
WILL the penny drop in Threadneedle Street now that even MPs have belatedly grasped what the Bank of England has done to savers and pensioners?
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‘Mortgage hostages’ risk as interest-only loans pulled
THOUSANDS of Scottish borrowers risk being a hostage to their mortgage or even losing their home as lenders walk away from interest-only loans.
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Solar power firm signs boiler deal as sales soar to £12.5m
SOLAR Electricity Systems is branching into other forms of energy generation for the home following soaring sales during the Glasgow-based company’s second year of trading. The firm, which has installed 32,000 solar panels on 1,800 houses across Scotland, has signed a deal with boiler specialist Vokera to supply thermal panels used to heat water.
1 commentStudents lured back to working abroad
SCOTS undergraduates working abroad under a British Council internship scheme have returned to near-record numbers following a sharp decline brought about by last year’s economic difficulties.
Director Dealings: Roundup
SURVEILLANCE technology firm Quadnetics recently won a deal to service and maintain security systems at a number of power plants.
Market Watch: Whitbread | Primark | Sports Direct
CONSUMER spending will be in the spotlight when leisure group Whitbread and retailers Sports Direct and Primark report figures this week.
Hub puts small producers in the big league
ARTISAN cheesemakers and other small food and drink producers in Scotland are breaking into supermarkets for the first time thanks to a new concept in distribution.
Dundee regeneration on track with new railway station plans
PLANS for a £14 million railway station, hotel and office development will be submitted to Dundee planners tomorrow, marking the latest phase in the £1 billion transformation of the city’s waterfront.
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Scottish professionals ‘back the Union’
ALEX Salmond’s hopes of creating an independent Scotland capable of attracting more business have been dealt a blow after a survey revealed more than half of professionals believe independence would make the country a less attractive place to pursue a career.
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Extra building for Bigmouthmedia as client list grows
DIGITAL marketing agency Bigmouthmedia is about to take on a third building in Leith as the company continues to notch up a series of big-name clients wins, including Coca-Cola, Ikea and Royal Bank of Scotland.
Terry Murden: Alex Salmond has the chance to impress big business
FIRST Minister Alex Salmond addresses the Institute of Directors Convention at the O2 Arena in London this week in what could mark a turning point in his relationship with big business.
2 commentsDow to turn rubbish into money with new deal
A WASTE management company from Cumbernauld has signed its first contract to supply fuel to European power stations and is already winning further work on the back of the deal.
Drinks giants back ‘customer friendly’ pubs scheme
BREWING majors Heineken and Molson Coors have joined spirits giant Diageo in pumping £50,000 into a scheme to cut crime and create more “customer friendly” pubs and clubs that will attract families and women.
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UK economy poised to escape recession despite forecast of feeble growth
BRITAIN’S economy remains on the critical list, economists have warned, although figures this week are likely to show it skirting a recession in the first quarter of the year.
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$101m package for Google chief Eric Schmidt
GOOGLE executive chairman Eric Schmidt has seen his pay rise from a symbolic $1 a year to $101 million (£62.6m) after he moved up from chief executive.
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‘Exploding’ t-shirts become mobile app-arel video
THE humble T-shirt is getting a hi-tech overhaul.
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Bill Jamieson: French prize is a poisoned chalice
AFROZEN economy, sky-high taxes, a debt-burdened treasury and a sulphurous mood in markets that could spark a new crisis: sounds familiar? Welcome to France, the latest staging post in the Euro-zone’s careering caravan of crisis.
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Alliance Trust faces ‘last chance saloon’ vote
THE board of Alliance Trust has been warned that it is in the “last chance saloon” this week to persuade investors it is the right manager of the firm’s £2.1 billion assets.
1 commentGame of the week: Silent Hill: Downpour
For most horror fans Silent Hill occupies a particularly black part of their heart. It’s a series that relies on fog-shrouded streets, deformed monsters and compelling storylines to deliver intelligent terror.
Bill Jamieson: Balancing act is a hard one to follow
WHAT happened to the great “rebalancing” of the UK economy? In the depths of recession urgent calls to shift growth from domestic consumer services to manufacturing exports filled the airwaves.
1 commentJeff Salway: Doublespeak over consumer protection
WE’RE used to politicians saying one thing and doing the opposite. It’s what we’ve come to expect. The current bunch have been playing this particular game since the day they came into power, and with great relish.
Jeff Salway: Prepare to be made redundant
MORE Scots are being forced to face up to the threat of unemployment after a new report warned that jobless levels will continue to rise over the coming months.
Santander UK float on hold until banking sector issues resolved
SANTANDER UK chief executive Ana Botín says she cannot make progress on the bank’s planned flotation until uncertainty over the new structure of the sector is lifted.
Director dealings: Ashley House expecting progress
HEALTH and social care property company Ashley House has seen its share price almost halve in the past year.
Market watch: New strategy set to dominate Tesco results
TESCO chief executive Phil Clarke’s new strategy for revitalising its core UK business will steal the limelight from the annual results of Britain’s leading supermarket group on Wednesday.
Investment scheme passes £1m milestone
A UNIQUE programme designed to prepare entrepreneurs for raising cash from investors has seen small firms attract £1 million since it launched last year.
Forth Ports chief says £125m wind turbine plant ‘will redefine Leith’
THE housing developments are on hold and the tram is no longer heading this way, but the port of Leith is picking up a head of steam as an important cog in the re-industrialisation of Scotland.
3 commentsJumpstart forms alliance to promote R&D; tax relief
AN EDINBURGH company that specialises in research and development (R&D) tax credits has made a further push into the professional services sector after forging a “strategic alliance” with Glasgow-based accountancy firm Campbell Dallas.
Viking set to expand into new territory
ONE of the directors credited with turning Petrofac from a small engineering company into a FTSE 100 energy services giant will this week unveil his plans for further international expansion at Aberdeen-based Viking Moorings.
- Election 2012: Labour emerge as biggest party in Edinburgh Council
- Tom English: Badly beaten, cruelly goaded Ibrox men endure longest day
- Tram project in worse state than ever, claim engineers
- Top law firm Ross Harper shut down after client cash probe
- Teenager identifies herself as mother of baby found dead at recycling plant
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Weather for Edinburgh
Saturday 05 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 2 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 1 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
