Rethink on rates leaves most firms worse off

Press and Journal – More than half of all companies in the north and north-east are worse off following an overhaul of business rates. The Scottish Government’s own figures have revealed that 23,000 firms have been forced to pay higher charges – as they try to recover from the worst recession for more than 70 [...]

Esure outsources IT in £26m five year deal

Broking.co.uk – Esure has migrated its IT platforms and hardware away from former joint venture partner, Lloyds Banking Group, through a £26m ‘build and run’ outsourcing contract with Capgemini UK, who will now manage the majority of Esure’s IT infrastructure for the next five years. The move follows Esure’s management buy out in February from [...]

Norbord cries foul over rising material costs

Herald Scotland – Canadian wood panel manufacturer Norbord has complained that subsidised power companies are pushing up raw material prices as it announced the final stage of a £25 million investment in its operations in Cowie, Stirlingshire. Norbord hopes to boost capacity by 10% and cut manufacturing costs by replacing key components at the plant. [...]

Inverness riverside restaurant plan lodged

BBC – A new restaurant has been planned in premises where a previous venture failed. Middlesex-based Ask Restaurant has sought a provisional premises licence for the vacant site on Bridge Street in Inverness. It was formerly occupied by Peat By The Bridge, but the restaurant closed down last January with the loss of 14 jobs. [...]

Technology jobs boost for Inverness

BBC – A Hertfordshire-based technology business is opening in Inverness with plans to create at least 51 new jobs in the area. AVC Group PLC will open a contact centre, warehouse and trade counter in the Highland capital. The main activities of the group are the service and installation of information technology equipment in the [...]

Bank’s shock for mortgage payers

Press and Journal – Thousands of people in the north and north-east are facing big rises in their monthly mortgage repayments because of a banking error. Customers of the Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks – owned by National Australia Bank – now have shortfalls on their variable-rate mortgages after staff miscalculated monthly repayments for up to [...]

Dingwall ready to wake up to business breakfast

A rapidly-growing business organisation that helps small businesses network will open its third ‘branch’ in the north next week.
Dingwall will join Elgin and Inverness to become the most northerly group of the 200-strong business networking organisation, 4Networking, with informal meetings over breakast fortnightly.
4Networking is the fastest growing business networking organisation in the world and on [...]

Joint venture enters ring in battle for Easter Ross yard

Press and Journal – Another business group has entered the battle for the largely mothballed Nigg fabrication yard in Easter Ross, where it is reckoned there is potential for thousands of jobs in the renewables industry. It was confirmed yesterday that a bid to buy the yard has been submitted to the American owners KBR [...]

New jobs at Caithness pipeline manufacturer

BBC – Up to 150 new posts are to be created at a pipe fabrication yard near Wick to meet orders from the North Sea oil and gas industry. Wester Yard is run by Subsea 7, one of the world’s biggest oil service companies.

Fishermen netting summer tourists

Press and Journal – Two fishermen who give up catching shellfish over the summer to offer boat trips have expanded their business. Roger Tebay and Paul Murray, both from Scourie, in Sutherland, have taken tourists to the island of Handa since 2008.

Tourism groups get extra cash to attract more visitors to Moray

Press and Journal – Moray tourism groups have been awarded extra funding to attract more visitors to the area. The grants, provided by VisitScotland under their growth fund scheme, aim to support “well-researched, new, collaborative marketing projects from groups of tourism businesses throughout Scotland that have a strong customer focus”. The £1million fund is partly [...]

Woolmill win for Mansell Elgin

Press and Journal – The Elgin office of construction company Mansell has landed the project to restore the historic Knockando Woolmill, in Moray.

Citylink launches new luxury service

Business7 – Scottish Citylink has launched a luxury coach service which aims to beat the service offered on railways. The Citylink Gold will operate on the Glasgow to Aberdeen and Glasgow to Aviemore to Inverness routes six times a day.

VIDEO: Diggers move in as Trump golf course gets under way

STV – Construction work on Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf resort is officially under way. Full planning permission for the £750m championship golf course was granted by councillors earlier this week.

Knight to invest in Dyce industrial unit

Press and Journal – KNIGHT Property Group has announced plans to invest £3million in a speculative industrial unit in the Kirkhill Commercial Park, at Dyce.

Building giant plans 105-acre Fort William development

Press and Journal – One of the UK’s largest house-building companies, Miller Developments has formally lodged a planning application with Highland Council planners for a multimillion-pound project on 105 acres of land at Blar Mhor and Corpach Moss on the outskirts of Fort William.

Latest round of talks for Donald Trump golf plans

BBC – Aberdeenshire councillors are to meet to decide if they will give the go-ahead to the latest stage of Donald Trump’s golf development.

Inverness builder’s future in question

Press and Journal – A QUESTIONMARK was hanging over the future of a local construction company last night as one of its directors admitted it had been hard hit by the recession.

Trump plans backed by Aberdeenshire officials

BBC – US tycoon Donald Trump has been given the backing of planning officials to start work on creating the “world’s greatest golf course”.

Dounreay nuclear site’s safety ‘improving’

BBC – Safety at the Dounreay nuclear plant continues to improve, according to the bosses of the company leading the clean-up of the Caithness complex.

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