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A cannabis business has been sanctioned for handing out free ice cream. While cannabis can now be bought and sold for recreational use in Ohio, one dealer has been slapped with a fine of $150,000 (c. £115,000) for handing out free sweet treats as well.

The UK government's stake in RBS-owner NatWest Group has been further reduced from 18.99% to 17.97%. The Treasury's sale of the shares comes after the new Labour government decided it will no longer go forward with plans for a public offering of the government's remaining stake to retail investors.

Glasgow-based tour operator McKinlay Kidd, which projects turnover in excess of £8 million this year, has become employee-owned. Announcing the change of ownership, managing director Zoe Davidson, said: “After 21 years as a trail blazing tour operator, we are thrilled that McKinlay

The Scottish Government should use the forthcoming Programme for Government to support enterprise and go full throttle in the quest for long-term sustainable growth, according to CBI Scotland. The organisation is calling the Scottish Government to work closely with UK counterparts to give crucial mo

A £5.9m project to create a new whisky distillery within the former derelict mill at Castletown in Caithness has secured a £250,000 investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Dunnet Bay Distillers Limited (DBDL) is leading the project, which will create 13 jobs. The project

St Andrews Timber & Building Supplies has upgraded its landscaping division with the purchase of two new vehicles. The expanded fleet will see a Volvo FE 320 Dropside based at its Stenhouse branch in Edinburgh, while a Mercedes Actros 2533 will work out of the firm’s west coast headquarter

STV Group plc has appointed Rufus Radcliffe as chief executive officer, effective from 1 November 2024. Mr Radcliffe joins STV from ITV plc where until April 2024 he was a member of the executive committee and latterly held the position of managing director of streaming, interactive and data, playin

Lloyds Banking Group has announced it is increasing its maximum loan-to-income ratio for first-time buyers from 4.49 to 5.5. Through Lloyds Bank and Halifax, the 'First-time Buyer Boost' is a new step in the group’s efforts to help more customers buy their own homes.

Business confidence in Scotland rose 13 points during August to 64%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Bank of Scotland. Companies in Scotland reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up 21 points at 66%. When taken alongside their optimism in the econ

Police in Brazil have launched a crackdown on claw machines on the basis that their unreliable controls defraud players. While many players believe winning prizes – often stuffed toys – from the machines is a matter of skill, they are actually games of chance, according to authorities in

A group of major shareholders in the PRS REIT, which invests in new-build family homes for the private rental market, have called for the removal of the board chair and a non-executive director.

The Scottish Retail Consortium has called for injecting greater certainty into fiscal plans, spending restraint rather than tax rises, and tax competitiveness as central focus points in the upcoming Scottish Budget. In its Budget submission – entitled Realising The Growth Ambition – sent

Accountancy and advisory firm Azets, which has its largest UK office in Braehead, has agreed to acquire Paisley-based chartered accountancy and wealth manager Milne Craig for an undisclosed sum. The historic Renfrewshire firm was founded over a 100 years ago and has established an excellent reputati

Chivas Brothers, Pernod Ricard's Scotch whisky arm, has posted its 2024 full year results revealing a decline in net sales of -1.6%, but a strong rebound in the second half. The results reflect stabilisation against a record prior year, with a -6% dip in H1 offset by +5% growth in H2. Favourable pri

Edinburgh-based Tweed Wealth Management taken over Glasgow-headquartered Capital Wealth Consultants (CWC). The deal, for an undisclosed sum, sees the Tweed Wealth Management grow to more than 28 staff across four locations.