Business news

Voice of business at heart of Government, insists minister

Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray made the comments as he addressed the Scottish Chambers of Commerce annual dinner.

Software firm Cloudsmith announces £8.8m investment

The company will use the funding to increase operations for its global client base.

Severn Trent keeps guidance unchanged despite fall in profit

The business said pre-tax profit was down by around a third to just under £71 million.

Almost half of people worried about winter energy bills, research fi...

The Citizens Advice Scotland study also found more than 1.4 million are worried about not being able to heat their homes effectively over the winter.

£70m investment fund announced for small businesses in Northern Irel...

The fund will support businesses from all sectors and aims to target start-ups that may have struggled to access finance elsewhere.

Christmas shopping period off to ‘miserable’ start, figures show

The Scottish Retail Consortium found that sales of wellies and cold and flu remedies were up during wet weather.

Britain’s house price hotspots that are bucking the market cooldown...

Some locations highlighted in the research released by Halifax have rural surroundings and incorporate areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Scottish local authority sees house prices rise more than 10% over 1...

Moray is one of 10 Scottish local authorities where property prices increased over the last year.

£6,000 wiped off the average price of a home in November

The 1.7% fall in average asking prices is the biggest percentage drop recorded for the month of November in five years, Rightmove said.

Minister says space industry ‘a force for good’ ahead of Germany tri...

Innovation Minister Richard Lochhead will be promoting the Scottish space sector.

Business leaders send ‘unequivocal message’ to Robison demanding rat...

Thirty-five business organisations united in a letter to the Deputy First Minister as she draws up the Scottish Budget for 2024-25.

AI technology trialled to predict power outages caused by storms

ScottishPower Energy Networks described its Predict4Resilience project as ‘revolutionary’.

Number of people taking out debt relief orders reaches highest level...

The number of people needing ‘breathing space’ from their debts also jumped, according to Insolvency Service figures for England and Wales.

Sleeper train staff to be balloted on strike action in row over staf...

The RMT union has said operators of the Caledonian Sleeper service have failed to staff it adequately.

Invest NI appoints new chief executive

Earlier this year a review panel raised serious concerns about ‘damaged’ relationships at the senior leadership level of the organisation.

£100m refurbishment at Belfast International to include solar farm

The multi-million pound five-year investment plan will aim to increase the airport’s operational efficiency.

‘Up-and-coming’ locations for first-time buyers revealed

Halifax based its analysis on house prices, as well as factors that first-time buyers indicated are desirable, such as links to cities and schools.

Half a million jobs created in Northern Ireland in last 15 years, st...

The majority of job growth occurred in younger firms established from 2007 to 2021, a study from Ulster University shows.

Leo Varadkar warns against ‘excessive caution’ in policymaking

The Taoiseach said Ireland’s economy had bounced back from the banking crisis, Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic faster than expected.

Ineos founder condemns UK’s ‘irresponsible’ lack of energy policy

Sir Jim Ratcliffe claimed windfall taxes and ‘negative signals’ from politicians are hampering investment in the North Sea.