News

Scottish retail started 2026 on a high note as total sales rose by 3.3% throughout January, a significant leap from the 1.5% growth recorded during the same period last year. This performance comfortably outpaced both the three-month and twelve-month averages. Even when adjusted for inflation, the s

An athlete who defrauded a teammate has now also beaten her victim to a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. Julia Simon came first in the women's 15km biathlon – which combines skiing and rifle shooting. Her victim and teammate, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, came in 80th place.

Equity investment into Scottish companies rose by almost a third to over £1 billion last year, even though the number of deals increased by less than 1%, a new report has shown. The figures suggest investors are becoming more selective and refining their focus with fewer but larger deals and m

Orbex, the Forres-based orbital launch services company and space rocket manufacturer, has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators following a failed Series D funding round and unsuccessful merger negotiations. Despite previous backing from the UK Space Agency, the Scottish National In

Dundee-based Ecoanolytes is expanding the global footprint of its innovative safer, eco-friendly cleaning and sanitising products through a targeted business growth campaign, after securing a £1 million loan from the Investment Fund for Scotland. Established in 2018, Ecoanolytes develops envir

Gillespie Macandrew LLP has appointed Gavin Merchant as its new CEO, with effect from 1 March. Mr Merchant succeeds Robert Graham-Campbell, who retires after eight years in the role. Having studied law at the University of Edinburgh and subsequently qualified as a Chartered Accountant, Mr Merchant b

Clark Contracts has appointed Mark McPeake as finance director. In his new role, Mr McPeake will be responsible for leading the company’s financial strategy, overseeing financial governance and reporting, and supporting the business in delivering its growth and long-term objectives.

The UK economy experienced a period of stagnation in the final quarter of 2025, with official figures revealing a modest expansion to GDP of just 0.1%. This sluggish performance, confirmed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), fell short of the 0.2% growth anticipated by City economists.

Nearly 80% of Chartered Accountants do not have confidence in the health of the Scottish economy and are calling for government action to make Scotland a more attractive place to do business, a new survey from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) has revealed. In the first poll

Nearly nine in 10 (87%) private business owners in Scotland are confident about growth in 2026, according to KPMG’s annual Private Enterprise Barometer. The annual survey captured the perspectives of 1,500 privately owned businesses, including 119 in Scotland, from across various industries in

The Scottish Government has unveiled a strategic investment initiative designed to anchor high-growth life science firms within the nation. Spearheaded by Scottish Enterprise, the £35 million Life Sciences Accommodation Programme aims to resolve the current shortage of affordable, specialised

Edinburgh-based entrepreneur John McClarey, founder of corporate charity sports events company Business Fives, is to appear on an upcoming episode of Dragons’ Den. Business Fives was founded in Scotland a decade ago by Mr McClarey without seed investment, starting as a single charity sports ev

The membership body for UK lenders, UK Finance, is to delay implementation of its new Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook. The introduction of the updated handbook, which will be hosted on a new, sign-in platform, has been postponed from 2 March until the end of June 2026. The current handbook will con

Surveyors reported a busy start to the year for the Scottish housing market as both demand and supply levels were on the up. Looking at demand, the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Market Survey reveals a net balance of 21% of respondents in Scotland report that new

A manufacturing blunder in China has resulted in a windfall for a factory worker whose error birthed an unlikely cultural icon in the form of a crying horse plushie.