News

PwC has found that over the last seven days, 62 per cent of 100 high street retailers were holding sales or advertising promotions in their shop window. This is up four percentage points on the previous week, and on par with the same time last year (63 per cent), but far from the level seen in 2008

A leading economic forecaster has revised down its forecast for economic growth in Scotland over the past year from 2.2 per cent to 1.9 per cent. The EY Scottish Item Club also warned that it expected growth in 2016 to be even lower at 1.8 per cent.

Clydesdale Bank owner National Australia Bank (NAB) has confirmed today that it plans to float 25 per cent of its Glasgow subsidiary in February. Glasgow-based Clydesdale, along with its Yorkshire Bank brand, is to be demerged from its Australian parent through a flotation on the London Stock Exchan

Royal Bank of Scotland has struck a deal to sell £1.63 billion of Irish real estate loans to US private equity firm Lone Star Funds and homebuilder Cairn Homes. At completion, Ulster Bank Ireland and Ulster Bank will receive about £360 million in cash at current exchange rates, a gain of about £2

Scottish businesses are set to suffer a major blow ahead of Christmas after it was announced this morning that The Forth Road Bridge (FRB) is to shut until the New Year for repairs following the discovery of defective steel work earlier this week.

After HMRC this week issued letters to Scottish taxpayers about the introduction of the new Scottish Rate of Income Tax (SRIT), accountants RSM has warned that the campaign underplays the impact on employers. The letter encourages Scottish taxpayers to ensure their address details are correct and se

The Council of Mortgage Lenders has outlined a range of calls to action for regulators, government and the mortgage industry itself to improve the market for older consumers who legitimately wish to borrow in retirement to meet various needs. The CML's report Retirement borrowing: reality, perceptio

Alan Milburn A new report which has been described as a “wake-up call” has confirmed that Scotland’s leading professions continue to be dominated by disproportionate core of people from privileged backgrounds.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published proposals to require general insurance providers to publish details of last year’s premium on renewal notices. The proposals aim to address concerns that some consumers pay higher prices if they stay with the same insurer, particularly for a long

Martin Gilbert Aberdeen Asset Management chief executive Martin Gilbert has sold almost £5.7 million of shares in a week that the firm’s full year results showed assets under management had shrunk by 13 per cent from £324.4bn in 2014 to £283.7bn on the back of outflows from the group’s flagsh

Bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland is to consider a possible early sale of the Republic of Ireland element of its Ulster Bank subsidiary, according to a report. The asset is a stand-alone business after it was separated from the rest of Ulster Bank when 73 per cent state-owned RBS abandoned plans to

Peter Gouw The Government has issued a consultation document seeking to amend the Patent Box scheme which has been used by multinational companies to reduce their tax rate to only 10 per cent, according to accountants BDO.

The City of Edinburgh Council has given the green light to a £60 million regeneration project to the south east of St Andrew Square. Named The Registers, the Chris Stewart Group project, which will bring more than 700 jobs to the city centre, will see two important heritage buildings given a new le

David Nicol Investment manager Brewin Dolphin, which has more than 100 staff, including 47 ­investment managers and ­financial planners based in Edinburgh, is targeting expansion after increasing adjusted pre-tax profit by 7 per cent to reach £62.2 million over the past 12 months.

Christmas shoppers are being urged by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) to support Scottish independent firms on Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday UK, which has taken place on the first Saturday in December since 2013, is a chance to celebrate the contribution of independent sh