The UK is expected to become the first large European economy to reach pre-pandemic levels of corporate insolvencies as COVID-19 crisis support is wound down and rising levels of inflation threaten firms. According to credit insurer Allianz Trade, corporate insolvencies will soar by 37% this year. T
Accountancy
Most employers have skills shortages in their workforce or expect to have shortages in the next five years, according to new research conducted by PwC. Concerns around skills shortages were profound with 33% experiencing a current shortage in core business skills such as teamwork, leadership, relati
New analysis from Grant Thornton UK's bi-annual recruitment sector report shows that deal activity in the recruitment sector for 2022 is off to a strong start with 23 deals completed in the first quarter of this year. This is compared to 18 deals completed in Q4 2021 and represents the sector’
Chiene + Tait (C+T) has announced the appointment of Grant Mackay, a VAT specialist with more than 25 years’ experience, to its Inverness team. With experience across in a number of core sectors including agriculture, landed estates, charities, public sector and owner-managed businesses, Mr Ma
Big Four firm KPMG is set to be fined £14.4 million after a Financial Reporting Council (FRC) tribunal found that its auditors deliberately misled regulators during routine inspections of its audit of collapsed government contractor Carillion. The £14.4m fine for KPMG would be the second
FRP Advisory, the administrators of Debenhams, have made £5.3 million in fees in the two years since the company went into insolvency. The administrators’ report has highlighted that FRP partners’ charges had increased from £495-£595 an hour to between £595-£
Wealth management company Brewin Dolphin has partnered for a second time with the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) this time to support its free entrepreneurial support programme that helps established social entrepreneurs to understand the procurement process and how to bid for and win public
Almost three quarters (71%) of SME businesses are not currently acting to reduce their carbon emissions, as Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance is downgraded and digitalisation, employee wellbeing, cost inflation, and recruitment take priority according to the latest Azets SME Ba
Wealth manager Brewin Dolphin, which has offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee, has posted its half year results revealing strong organic fund inflows of £1.9 billion.
Peter Ferguson, a businessman from Dunfermline, has been banned from running companies over allegations he used a government Covid bounce-back loan for personal gain. The Insolvency Service imposed a six-year sanction on Mr Ferguson, 46, last week relating to his conduct in running Beautiful Digital
As businesses continue to operate in an increasingly challenging environment and brace for the impact of rising cost and wage inflation and energy bills, the latest research from Grant Thornton’s Business Outlook Tracker finds that recent price increases by the Scottish mid-sized businesses ar
Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week (9 -13 May) new research from Grant Thornton UK LLP shows that mid-market employers are looking to increase investment in supporting their people’s mental health over the next 12 months. From the 604 respondents to Grant Thornton’s latest Business Ou
Inflationary pressure poses a huge risk to Scottish businesses in the coming months, with a significant number unprepared for the highest level of inflation in 30 years, according to accountancy and business advisory firm, BDO LLP. According to the firm, 73% of businesses have only accounted for a 3
Staff at Big Four firm PwC have hit back at Lord Sugar after he called employees at the company "lazy", following an announcement that PwC will allow employees to take Friday afternoons off during the summer months. Last week, Scottish Financial News reported that the firm had written to its 22,000
Fast-growth businesses in Scotland continue to attract huge volumes of venture capital (VC) investment, despite the uncertain geopolitical and macroeconomic environment, according to the latest figures from KPMG UK. Scottish scaleups saw 41 deals completed in the first three months of this year, rai