Business

Scottish business confidence has experienced a significant uplift, rising 11 points to 53% in February, according to the Bank of Scotland's latest Business Barometer. While companies in Scotland reported lower confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, down three points at 50%, their

Scotland has secured over £850 million in investment over the past four months, driven by strong interest in its burgeoning energy transition sector. The total is boosted today by the Scottish National Investment Bank’s (SNIB) announcement of £6.7m for Subsea Micropiles, which is d

Businesses behind Scotland’s most emblematic exports have secured £42 million in UK Export Finance (UKEF) deals since the summer, facilitating international expansion. Enabling companies such as Ferguson Whisky and manufacturer of fire and rescue vehicles Emergency One, which the governm

Scotland’s focused global trading strategy is producing tangible results, Business Minister Richard Lochhead has told an audience of Scottish exporters. The Scottish Government’s sector-specific export plans target action on areas of strength, such as renewable energy, technology, life s

Bee Happy Breaks Scotland Ltd – a Perthshire self-catering accommodation business – has secured a £48,000 funding boost from the British Business Bank’s Investment Fund for Scotland to increase its capacity and cater for more overnight guests. Run by Joyce and Alan Jamieson,

Scottish businesses are grappling with a surge in overdue invoices, reaching a three-year high in January, according to new research from R3. The insolvency and restructuring trade body's analysis of data provided by Creditsafe shows that businesses in Scotland had a total of 611,754 overdue invoice

A project to increase the amount of luxury self-catering accommodation available on the island of Great Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde has secured up to £95,452 investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Jack’s Alt Stays Ltd was launched in 2022 and currently has five cabins

A sea salt producer on the Isle of Skye is expanding to increase production and create more jobs. The Isle of Skye Sea Salt Company has secured up to £5,690 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) towards total project costs of £14,230.

A growing number of mid-sized Scottish businesses are at risk of becoming "zombie" companies, according to research by BDO. Rising costs and challenging economic conditions are squeezing growth, with 13.5% of these firms now considered vulnerable – an increase of 0.8 percentage points versus t

Too many small and medium enterprises across Scotland are putting their futures at risk by not pursuing all money owed to them, a disputes lawyer has warned. John Bett believes that myths surrounding the legal avenues available to secure outstanding debts put off many smaller business owners from ta

A Lanarkshire dog walking business has doubled the size of its premises and is looking to bring in new staff after the owners received specialist advice from Business Gateway.

Business confidence amongst UK CEOs is growing, despite ongoing geopolitical and macroeconomic challenges, according to the latest EY-Parthenon CEO Outlook survey. 

Scotland's private sector showed tentative signs of recovery in January, according to the Royal Bank of Scotland Growth Tracker. The index, which measures combined manufacturing and service sector output, rose to 49.6 from 46.9 in December. While still indicating contraction, the softer decline was

A new report, the Gender Export Gap, has revealed that Scotland could boost its economy by billions of pounds if women-led businesses exported at the same rate as those led by men. The report estimates a potential increase in trade of between £3.4 billion and £10.3bn over two years. From

Scottish businesses have been invited to enter The Private Business Awards 2025, sponsored by BDO, with nominations now open to private or PE-backed businesses with a turnover of £50 million-£300m. The inaugural awards programme, which serves to celebrate the mid-sized businesses that dr