Aluminium smelter boss reveals new hotel plans
Fort William aluminium smelter owner GFG Alliance is mulling a multi-million pound plan to build a hotel near the site, it has emerged.
Decision to centralise north air traffic control in Inverness risks jobs, claim opponents
A union last night claimed plans by the north’s airport operator to shut air traffic control (ATC) towers will put up to 60 jobs and vital transport links at risk.
Record number of deals for Anderson Anderson & Brown
The Aberdeen-based accountants and business advisers Anderson Anderson & Brown (AAB) completed a record 70 transactions, with a total value of more than £500 million, last year.
North service axed as demand for route fails to take off
A service between Inverness and East Midlands Airport, launched less than four months ago, has been axed by operator Loganair.
£100k given to help rural companies to grow faster
New funding has been announced to create “digital communities” among rural firms in Scotland.
Music industry’s impact on the economy mapped
A team of academics and music industry professionals is to map and measure the impact of the music industry on Scotland’s economy.
Metals giant is rethinking plan to make alloy wheels at Lochaber site
Metals giant GFG Alliance is rethinking its plans to produce alloy car wheels at a new £120 million factory it proposes to build beside Fort William aluminium smelter.
Trade body says tourist tax will make hundreds jobless in north and north-east
More than 1,300 jobs could be lost across the north-east and Highlands and islands, with the areas’ economies taking a combined £46 million hit, if councils start charging a “tourist tax”, a major trade body has warned.
EXCLUSIVE: Ski centre has biofuel plan to cut emissions
The operator of the troubled Cairn Gorm ski centre plans to clean up its carbon footprint next month, with a switch from diesel to biofuel to power machinery there, it has emerged.
Electric plane plan for islands receives UK government cash
A project which could see the world’s first electric –powered commercial passenger flights take off in Orkney has won £9 million backing from the UK government.
Key sectors ‘bargaining chips’ in US-EU dispute
Moray Chamber of Commerce has added its voice to a growing chorus of concern over the impact of punitive US export tariffs on three of the area’s key industries.
Speyside producers counting cost of punitive 25% US tariffs
Punitive 25% US tariffs imposed on a number of traditional Scottish products are having a “marked impact” on Speyside, the boss of a Moray-based whisky specialist has warned.
‘This is Forres Ground Control’: Highland rocket launches to be monitored from Moray mission centre
Rocket launches from the proposed spaceport in the north Highlands will be monitored at a “mission control centre” in Forres, it has been announced.
EXCLUSIVE: Law firm linked to HIE boss paid £120k for legal work connected to crisis-hit Cairn Gorm snow sports centre
A law firm headed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) chairman, Lorne Crerar, has been paid more than £120,000 for legal work connected with the quango’s crisis-hit Cairn Gorm snow sports centre, the Press & Journal has learned.
Gordon and MacPhail team up with UHI to offer on-the-job training
A new course for business leaders, developed by Moray College UHI in partnership with Elgin-based distiller and retailer Gordon and MacPhail, starts today.
Winter bargains boosted October’s selling figures
The Eastgate Centre in Inverness was among those to feel the benefit as bargain-hunting shoppers brought a slight boost to Scotland’s retail sector last month.
New training course for entrepreneurs in Lochaber to be launched
A new training course for entrepreneurs in Lochaber will be launched next week during the local chamber of commerce’s annual Ideas Week.
Free help for north firms wanting to export to United States
A free event is taking place in Inverness next for businesses interested in exporting to the US.
Concern at number of shops lying unoccupied in Scotland’s town centres
The proportion of shops lying empty in Scotland’s town centres rose to more than one-in-10 last month, according to figures published today.
Spirits up as Isle of Raasay distillery expansion gets underway
Isle of Raasay Distillery is expanding its facilities in advance of the launch of its first single malt whisky next year.
Plans for Fort William car wheel plant trapped in the slow lane
Fort William aluminium smelter bosses have said plans for a £120 million car wheel plant on the site are moving more slowly than they had hoped, with Brexit uncertainty playing a part.
TRAVEL: Recapturing the bygone era of luxurious rail travel in the 1930s
The Northern Belle vintage train will set off from Aberdeen for the first time in more than a decade next year, calling at Dundee and Perth to pick up passengers for a nostalgic, luxury-filled Scottish day trip.
HIE build case for financial bail-out from Scottish Government over Cairngorm funicular
A final decision on whether to recommend saving or scrapping Cairngorm funicular will depend on “detailed numbers” currently being compiled by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the agency’s boss has said.
School dinners at risk due to post-Brexit shortages
School dinners across the Highlands could be hit by post-Brexit produce shortages, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said yesterday.
Whole of tourism sector opposed to tax, says Federation of Small Businesses
A leading business organisation has urged Highland Council not to introduce a tourist tax, warning it could damage growth of an industry that is the “only serious game in town” for most of the area.
Highland firm Carbon Dynamic showing promising signs
A Highland businessman has said he is “encouraged” by levels of interest in the products of a modular building firm he re-launched after it went into administration last year.
Distilling industry’s growth highlighted
Scotland’s largest independent accountancy and business advisory firm, Johnston Carmichael, has revealed new figures showing it advised on £17 million worth of investment in the distillery sector in the last financial year, helping to deliver three new distilleries.
Boats to trial technology tracking cod catches in ‘real time’
A pioneering collaboration between Scottish fishermen and scientists will use new technology to avoid unwanted catches of cod and whiting.
Marine equipment firm targets fish farm growth
Marine equipment, technology and services firm Gael Force Group has set its sights on growth in the international fish farming industry after a year of acquisitions and product development.
Walkers ‘robust’ despite increases in butter price
The boss of the world’s most famous shortbread brand has said the business remains “robust” despite enduring two of the toughest years in its history as the price of its key ingredient soared.
Economic challenges in focus at Highland gathering
Delegates from organisations involved in tackling socio-economic challenges across Europe are visiting the Highlands.
£5m contract to develop isles air traffic control
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (Hial) has launched a drive to find contractors for work worth up to £5 million to develop its planned centralised air traffic control system.