Business

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

Scottish businesses are increasingly pessimistic about the year ahead, according to the latest Scottish Business Monitor from the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde. The findings from a survey of more than 300 firms, conducted in December 2024 and January 2025, reveal that

New research from Grant Thornton UK LLP has revealed that, while many businesses expect they will need to secure additional funding to support their growth this year, the majority are currently finding it difficult to access the funding required. The firm’s research which surveyed 800 business

Aberdeen City Council, in partnership with Aberdeen Grampian Chamber of Commerce, is offering free tailored training sessions to help to city centre businesses. The sessions take place on Monday 10 and Tuesday 18 February and cover business resilience and building long-term strategic relationships r

Scottish business confidence edged down two points to 42% in January, according to the latest Business Barometer from Bank of Scotland. Despite a dip in overall sentiment, businesses in Scotland demonstrated a stronger outlook regarding their own trading prospects, which rose 14 points to 53%. This

Glasgow Fort has reported a strong end to the year with December seeing a 10.6% increase in footfall from 2023, following a series of major new store openings providing greater choice for shoppers.

Aberdeen City Council is offering a one-time grant of £500 to individual local businesses that want to show their support for Spectra – Scotland’s Festival of Light – when it returns to the city next week. Spectra, runs from Thursday 6 to Sunday 9 February and will see Aberde

Ayrshire-based Wilsons Pet Food, one of the longest established pet food companies in the UK, has secured a £1 million investment from the Investment Fund for Scotland (IFS), managed by Maven Capital Partners and delivered by the British Business Bank. The company specialises in cold-pressed d

Walker’s Shortbread has reported a 19.5% year-on-year growth in festive sales, driven by a six-figure, multi-channel marketing campaign that highlighted the joy of sharing shortbread during Christmas and New Year.

Highland Heritage Woodworks (HHW), a sustainable timber supplier and bespoke carpentry firm, is poised for growth after receiving a £100,000 grant from Scottish Enterprise. The funding supports a £250,000 project to establish a sawmill on the Dunecht Estate in Aberdeenshire, enhancing th

A luxury hotel in St Andrews is set to launch a growth leadership programme after the business owners received support from Business Gateway. Rufflets St Andrews was originally built as a private home in 1924 for the widow of a Dundee merchant. The property went on to be transformed into one of Scot

The British Business Bank has provided financial support to 15,000 smaller businesses in Scotland, supporting 148,000 existing jobs and is expected to create 11,000 additional roles since it was established in 2014, cementing its position as a critical driver of growth and employment. The bank's The

Business confidence in Scotland has experienced a slight decline quarter-on-quarter, according to the latest ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) for Q4 2024. Despite this dip, confidence remains significantly higher than the UK average, standing at 13.1 compared to 0.2 nationally.

The second Trump presidency is set to have a profound impact on the Scottish economy, according to Holmes Mackillop. Finlay Swan, associate solicitor at Holmes Mackillop, suggests that while the intention to implement a 20% tariff on exports and an unrestricted – to quote Mr Trump – 'dri

Finance strategist Craig Alexander Rattray has published a new book to help business owners know their numbers better. Mr Rattray, a corporate finance and cash flow expert, says his new book will empower entrepreneurs to make informed decisions that improve their cash flows, increase profits, and bu