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Scottish business confidence has surged by 28 points to reach a 50% mark in June, revealed by the recent Business Barometer survey from the Bank of Scotland Commercial Banking. This confidence is reflective of firms' optimism in both their individual prospects, which jumped 22 points to 52%, and the

The chairman of Springfield Properties has challenged Stirling Council on the "considerable delays" by planning officials to progress housing at Durieshill. Attending today’s Stirling Council meeting, Sandy Adam made a bold visual statement with an eight-foot figure of a sn

Scotland has witnessed a surge in new businesses, with over 3,200 start-ups registered in May 2023, according to research conducted by R3, the UK's insolvency and restructuring trade body. This figure, obtained from Creditsafe data analysis, was 229 firms higher than the previous month's total of 3,

Edinburgh-based water retailer Business Stream has achieved a record savings of £2.85 million for the country’s public sector this year, elevating the total savings to £6.4m over a three-year period. This was accomplished through the provision of leak detection, water efficiency, a

VAT expert Iain Masterton has warned that escalating costs driven by inflation could jeopardise the survival of smaller businesses by pushing them over the current VAT threshold. As the head of VAT at accountancy and advisory firm CT, Mr Masterton raises concern over the additional VAT bur

Archangels, the Edinburgh-based business angel syndicate, has welcomed Daniel McKiddie as investment manager to its executive team, led by joint managing directors Niki McKenzie and David Ovens. Mr McKiddie, a chartered accountant, will work in tandem with Shaolei McKie, senior investment manager, t

NatWest and Nationwide have announced substantial increases in interest rates, and the withdrawal of several mortgage products.

Scottish hospitality management software company, Hop, has penned a partnership deal with Queensland-based venue management software firm, iVvy. The collaborative venture will provide a comprehensive booking solution for hotels, enabling the sale of large scale events, room packages and food and dri

Smaller firms in Scotland saw record levels of equity investment in 2022, despite difficult economic conditions, according to new research from the British Business Bank. The Bank’s annual Small Business Equity Tracker, published today, showed that equity deals involving small businesses total

Insight-led consultancy service, Optima Partners, has appointed Martin Dowson FRSA as its new managing director of consulting, as the Edinburgh-based company remains on track to double in size this year. Known for his expertise in driving effective business transformation through design & custom

Tech specialist firm ClearSky Logic is targeting London and Manchester hub openings over the next twelve months, following rapid growth out of its Edinburgh headquarters and Glasgow satellite office since being founded by Darren Auld and Phil Telfer in Scotland’s capital in 2018. Having grown

Owner-managed business specialists Consilium Chartered Accountants has provided lead and tax advisory services to the shareholders of Lothian Building Supplies as JW Grant Group acquired the Scottish firm. Continuing a long-standing business relationship, Lothian retained John Blair and Craig Coyle

HSBC, which accounts for nearly a quarter of the home loans market, has withdrawn all of its residential, buy-to-let and business mortgage deals.

Scottish commercial landlords are grappling with new energy performance certificate (EPC) legislation and future decarbonisation targets, according to a report by audit, tax and consulting firm RSM UK. Increases to minimum EPC ratings have already been legislated in England and Wales, with all comme

Deloitte's Scottish branch has donated 1,000 laptops to five Glasgow-based primary and secondary schools, in line with its commitment to bridging the widening digital skills gap. The recipient schools, which include Govan High School, Hazelwood School, Smithycroft Secondary School, Linburn Academy,