Mothercare takes hit

Thursday 19 July 2012 8:00

Baby products retailer Mothercare saw sales fall 4.4% for the first quarter amid increased competition from supermarkets and online retailers.

Sports Direct defies weather

Thursday 19 July 2012 8:00

The UK's biggest sporting goods retailer Sports Direct has recored a strong rise
in full year profit on the back of healthy online sales. The firm, controlled by billionaire Newcastle United soccer club owner Mike Ashley, said underlying pretax profit rose 17.3% to £162.1m in the 53 weeks to April 29.

Aer Lingus feels undervalued

Thursday 19 July 2012 6:00

Airline Aer Lingus says a revised takeover bid by rival airline Ryanair undervalues the company, according to reports. In a letter to shareholders urging them to reject the offer, the carrier said the reasons were stronger than at the time of the first failed bid in 2006. Ryanair reportedly offered €1.30 (£1.02) a share and the Irish government, which retains a stake in the airline since privatisation, said it will look at the new takeover attempt.

Scotland in recession

Wednesday 18 July 2012 13:00

The Scottish economy has officially followed the wider UK back into recession, new figures show. Gross domestic product (GDP) in Q1 of 2012 dipped by 0.1%, in line with a drop in economic output reported for the final three months of 2011.

Dairy Crest endures tough quarter

Tuesday 17 July 2012 6:00

IMF lowers UK forecast

Tuesday 17 July 2012 0:00

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has significantly reduced its growth forecast for the UK this year to 0.2% and warned the risks from the eurozone debt crisis "continue to loom large". Its forecast was reduced from 0.8% three months ago, highlighting the UK's slide into a double-dip recession in the first quarter of the year.

Shutting up shop

Tuesday 17 July 2012 0:00

A quarter of shops and almost a fifth of hotels in Scotland could close next year, according to a study by insolvency trade group R3. The report predicts that 274 retail businesses and 30 hotels had a high risk of going out of business within the next 12 months. Meanwhile, a further 1,238 retailers and 137 hoteliers are vulnerable to failure over the same period, the study claims.

Staycation boost

Friday 13 July 2012 9:00

'Staycations' continue to boost the Scottish economy, new figures show today, with a 5% rise in visitor numbers in the 12 months to March. The report, from the Office for National Statistics and the Great Britain Tourism Survey, also shows visitors spent 15% more over the year. The number of visits to Scotland from within Great Britain were up 6%, with a small rise in international visits.

O2 failure "shakes confidence"

Friday 13 July 2012 8:00

CBI attack government over infrastructure

Thursday 12 July 2012 9:00

The head of the CBI has attacked the government for failing to boost the economy following a series of delays to key infrastructure projects. In an interviw with the FT, John Cridland, the director general of the country's largest business lobby group, said ministers were in many cases too busy infighting to agree funding for projects that needed government support.

Eurostar sales accelerate

Thursday 12 July 2012 7:00

Rising numbers of leisure passengers on the Eurostar trains have offset a dip in the business market in the first half of 2012, the operator said. The tourist traffic rise meant that Eurostar carried 4.8 million passengers in the first six months of this year - up 2% on the January-June 2011 total. Sales revenue for the first half of 2012 rose 1% to £425m.

Scottish slowdown

Thursday 12 July 2012 7:00

The latest quarterly report from the Scottish Chambers of Commerce's (SCC) shows a weakening in business activity in the second quarter of 2012.  Business leaders also reported a more cautious outlook for the third quarter. It also found optimism expressed by businesses at the beginning of 2012 had become "less evident".