News

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has reported a strong year of investment and job creation, with over 1,200 jobs set to be created or retained in the region, including 82 jobs in fragile areas. The outturns for 2023/24 were achieved through a combination of financial and non-financial interven

PwC UK has informed its employees of reduced bonuses in certain divisions, smaller pay rises, and a cutback on the popular half-day Fridays perk due to "challenging market conditions". In a memo, chief people officer Ian Elliott told the Big Four firm's 26,000 staff that while the overall bonus pool

Scotland has maintained its position as the second most attractive location for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the UK, after London, securing a record 124 projects in 2023. According to EY’s Scotland Attractiveness Survey, this represents a 12.7% increase from the previous year, significan

Home sales in Scotland are expected to rise over the next three months despite a falloff in new buyer enquiries during June, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Market Survey.

A rare vinyl record by the Sex Pistols has sold for a record-breaking price at auction.

A prison in Brazil has swapped guard dogs for geese – which authorities say are cheaper and more effective. The São Pedro de Alcântara Penitentiary in Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina recruited the nine "geese agents" late last year.

Begbies Traynor Group has reported its tenth consecutive year of growth, boosted by both a surge in small business insolvencies and a promising outlook for the property sector. The firm posted a pretax profit of £22 million for the year ended 30 April 2024, up from £20.7m the previo

Edinburgh-based risk prevention specialist Reactec has announced its busiest year on record – with a 40.9% increase in annual turnover to £5.58 million. The company’s accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023 showed a gross profit of nearly £3.8m and an operating loss

Qasim Ali has returned to Lindsays as an associate following a spell away from the firm and will be based at its Glasgow city centre offices. Mr Ali was previously a solicitor with Lindsays between April 2021 and August 2023. He has experience in all areas of corporate law, with clients including in

Paragon Bank has strengthened its buy-to-let mortgage sales team with the appointment of James Harding as business development manager (BDM) to support brokers in Scotland. Mr Harding replaces Holly Morrison, who was Paragon’s BDM covering Scotland before being appointed to a national acc

Investment in Scottish commercial property dipped during the first six months of 2024, as uncertainty over interest rates caused investors to take a pause for thought in Q2, according to new figures from Knight Frank. The independent commercial property consultancy’s analysis of RCA data found

A Highland woodturning business run by an 18-year-old is now able to produce products in a more streamlined way after the business owner accessed specialist start-up support from Business Gateway. Daniel Stewart began woodturning in 2020 when he was just 14, after being gifted a lathe by his granny.

The Cabrach Distillery, a community-led social enterprise on the edge of Speyside, has received nearly £140,000 in funding from responsible finance provider Social Investment Scotland (SIS), supporting its long-term ambition to revive the local area. The Cabrach Distillery – which is gea

Barratt Developments has revealed it expects "profit before tax slightly ahead of our previous expectations" in its latest trading update. The developer has also said it anticipates a further 7% drop in home completions for the 2024-25 financial year, despite "broadly flat" building costs and U

Real estate investment trust The PRS REIT has extended and revised its relationship with Sigma PRS Management Ltd. The businesses have agreed to extend their investment advisory agreement and development management agreement to 30 June 2029 – an extension of two-and-a-half years from the previ