News

Global investment company abrdn is calling for urgent measures to be brought in to protect and support listed smaller companies in the UK – including immediately abolishing stamp duty on FTSE 250 shares. This comes following the launch today of a report by New Financial, the influential think

Johnston Carmichael has partnered with European accelerator and early-stage advisory firm Mountside Ventures to empower emerging VC managers and bolster the fundraising system. The firm was selected as Mountside Ventures’ Emerging VC Managers Accelerator Programme’s sole accountancy

A former walled garden within an historic estate with links to Robert Burns and Winston Churchill could soon be brought back to life as a private distillery.

Grant Thornton UK has attracted interest from several private equity firms. Cinven, EQT, and New Mountain Capital (backer of Grant Thornton's US business) are reportedly shortlisted to acquire a stake in the firm. The deal could value Grant Thornton UK at over £1.5 billion.

The World Conker Championships is investigating an allegation of cheating after a contestant was found to have a steel chestnut. The men's winner at the annual competition in Northamptonshire was searched by organisers after his rival cried foul play, The Telegraph reports.

A project to create a new high-end recording studio on the Isle of Mull in Argyll has been awarded up to £39,000 by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). New start company Heb Aisle Limited is converting a former church building in the village of Bunessan on the southern end of the island.

UK inflation fell to 1.7% in September, dropping below the Bank of England's 2% target for the first time since April 2021. This was driven by lower fuel prices and base effects from an unusually strong September 2023. However, economists expect inflation to rebound in October as energy prices rise

Glasgow-headquartered ZLX Business Solutions, which specialises in research and development (R&D) tax credits among other financial solutions, has appointed Francis Kiernan to its board in the newly-created non-executive director role. With a career spanning more than 30 years in energy and

A new analysis from the Scottish Retail Consortium has suggested shops in Scotland could see a £13 million hike in their business rates bills from April. The latest ONS Consumer Price Index reveals that inflation stood at 1.7% last month. September’s inflation rate is what UK Ministers t

Donald Trump has loaned nearly £5 million to his Scottish golf course last year as the company faced mounting losses. Trump International Golf Club Scotland, which operates an 18-hole resort in Aberdeenshire, received a £4.7m interest-free loan from DJT Holdings, the parent company owned

Eden Mill distillery has partnered with MiAlgae, a Scottish biotech firm and Earthshot Prize finalist, to repurpose whisky effluent, a by-product of distillation, to grow microalgae as a sustainable source of omega-3s.

An Aberdeen tax expert has warned that potential drastic changes to Inheritance Tax (IHT) and Capital Gains Tax (CGT) as part of Labour’s Autumn Budget could stifle wealth creation and cost the Treasury more than it hopes to generate. The upcoming Budget on 30 October, the first of the new Lab

Kennedy Accountancy, a firm based in Auchtertyre, Lochalsh, has won two awards at the 2024 Accounting Excellence Awards. Winning not only the Small Firm of the Year for Scotland, North of England and Northern Ireland, it also won the coveted UK Small Firm of the Year (Grand Prix). The accolades were

Dundee-based SPAR wholesaler and convenience retailer CJ Lang & Son Ltd has reported a 14.2% rise in net turnover to £253 million and an 8% increase in pre-tax profits to £4m for the year ended 28 April 2024. In the last year, the family-owned business, acquired 12 new company stores

The average price of a property in Scotland has hit a record £200,000 in August 2024, a 5.4% year-on-year increase, according to the latest UK House Price Index data. In comparison, the UK average house price experienced a more modest annual increase of 2.8% – reaching £293,000.