Scottish chartered-surveying firm, Shepherd is stepping up its expansion in England with the opening of a new Mayfair office and an enhanced focus on London's commercial and residential-property markets. The move marks a significant new chapter in the firm's English growth strategy, bringing together its established London team with additional senior expertise in commercial-agency and residential valuations. The new office, at 12 Bolton Street, will be home to commercial-agen

International law firm DAC Beachcroft has appointed Clare Dewar as a partner in its real-estate team in Scotland. Clare, who joins from Brodies, brings more than 20 years' experience in commercial real-estate matters. In recent years she has advised on some of Scotland's most significant transactions, including major retail, office and hotel acquisitions and disposals, portfolio-management mandates and complex development projects. Clare will work closely with the firm’s nati

Business confidence in Scotland rose 13 points during October to 49 per cent, according to the latest Business Barometer from Bank of Scotland. Companies in Scotland reported higher confidence in their own trading outlook month-on-month, up 13 points at 63 per cent. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up 14 points to 35 per cent, this gives a headline confidence reading of 49 per cent (in comparison with 36 per cent in September 2026). Scottish firms' optimi

Aberdeen-headquartered Dales Marine Services has launched an international mobile engineering service that sends its repair teams directly to vessels wherever clients need them. The development of the mobile engineering team builds on a service already offered by the firm across Scotland and in the northeast of England, and the team has now successfully completed projects in Europe and Africa. As part of the international offering, teams will cover dockings, afloat maintenanc

Entrepreneur Poonam Gupta OBE is set to become the first woman to receive the WeDO Scotland Lifetime Achievement Award next week. Poonam, who is the founder of international paper trading company PG Paper, has been recognised for her remarkable entrepreneurial journey, her contribution to Scotland’s economy and international trade, as well as for her commitment to creating opportunities for women in business. Originally from India, when Poonam arrived in Scotland, she struggl

Independent professional-services and accounting firm, Wbg, which has its headquarters in Glasgow, has acquired Dunedin Advisory. Founded in 2009 and becoming an employee-owned business in 2020, Dunedin’s management team comprises licensed insolvency practitioners, chartered accountants and business professionals. With its main office in Glenrothes, predominantly servicing the east of Scotland, Dunedin works with individuals and businesses looking for solutions with cashflow

Scottish dealmaker Adam Maitland has been appointed head of Cooper Parry's national corporate-finance business, which he will lead from the firm's Scottish hub, in Aberdeen. Adam takes on the role leadership from Andy Parker, who has overseen the transformation of the accountancy firm’s corporate-finance business into a national, sector-led advisory team operating across 13 locations throughout the UK. Andy will remain a key part of the business, continuing to advise clients,

An independent hi-fi retailer with stores in Glasgow and Edinburgh is celebrating 30 years in business. Turnover is expected to reach £3.5m this year as a new generation of music lovers discovers vinyl and high-quality home audio. Loud & Clear, founded by Allan Boyd in 1996, has grown into a specialist retailer attracting customers from across the UK and Europe, while remaining firmly rooted in Scotland, which still accounts for more than 75 per cent of its business. The comp

Hospitality fintech, Shuffle, has announced that it expects to invest more than £10m in Scottish bars and restaurants after launching in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Shuffle, which combines a consumer-rewards app with funding for independent hospitality businesses, expanded north of the border following growth in Manchester and Liverpool. The company believes its investment into Scottish venues could pass £10m as it builds its presence in the two cities, with plans already underway

The British Business Bank has announced a new partnership with the UK Business Angels Association (UKBAA) to support the launch of its Diverse Angel Syndicate (DAS) programme, an initiative designed to broaden participation in angel investing and increase the flow of capital to underrepresented business founders. The programme will provide specialist financial and non-financial support for operational growth and development, including up to £400,000 of grant funding per syndi

Independent Scottish law firm, Thorntons, has appointed Stephanie Mann as a partner in its Aberdeen office, to lead the firm’s residential-property practice in the city. Stephanie was born and educated in Aberdeen and has built her career in the northeast. She trained at Aberdein Considine, where she ran its Ellon and Peterhead offices early in her career, and has spent the past six years as a partner leading a residential-property team in the city. Her client base spans fir

Two thirds (66 per cent) of Scottish businesses have recruited early-careers talent in the past year, according to new research from Bank of Scotland. Of the companies that hired early-careers talent in the past 12 months, 90 per cent expect to recruit more over the next year. Even among Scottish businesses that did not recruit early-careers talent in the past year, 75 per cent say they would have done so if they had felt able to – more than any other part of the UK. Whe

New research from money.co.uk has revealed that the University of Edinburgh is the UK's seventh most AI-ready university, beating the likes of Oxford, which came in at number 10. The study ranked 146 UK universities across three areas (AI and AI-related education, graduate employment and university spin-out activity), on their ability to develop AI talent and translate it into commercial innovation. Edinburgh stood out for its 26 AI-specific courses, 31 active spin-outs a

Aberdein Considine has reached the finals in five separate categories at The Herald law awards of Scotland, including debt-recovery team of the year, which the firm won in 2024 and 2025. The firm is also shortlisted in the litigation team of the year; family and child law team of the year; and employment team of the year. Its Glasgow-based, banking-litigation senior associate, Ahsan Mustafa, has been shortlisted for the solicitor of the year award. Jacqueline Law, managing p

An early-assessment report undertaken by independent research company, SQW, has found that the Investment Fund for Scotland (IFS) is helping to improve access to finance for smaller businesses across the country, supporting ambitious firms to grow, innovate and scale. By September 2025, the fund had provided £31.6m of investment, across the three sub-funds (equity, debt and smaller loans), to 75 businesses, helping to address local finance gaps and increase the availability

Law firm Harper Macleod has announced that its headcount has exceeded 500 for the first time, reaching a total of 501 people across Scotland. The milestone marks more than a decade of sustained growth for the firm, which has increased by 54 per cent from 326 people in 2015. The firm recently welcomed 17 new trainee solicitors who will be based across its Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness and Elgin offices, supporting clients and communities throughout Scotland. The latest intake

Working capital and credit-management specialist, itsettled, has expanded into Scotland, establishing a new Highlands base to support businesses facing increasing pressure on working capital and receivables performance. The company’s Scottish operations are led by Victoria Herd, director for Scotland and head of working capital projects, who is based in Lairg, Sutherland. She will work with businesses and professional advisers across the Highlands, the east and west coasts of

A study by virtual-office provider, Virtual HQ, has revealed that the Outer Hebrides has the highest share of company founders aged over 60 in the UK. Virtual HQ analysed every company incorporated in the UK over the 12 months to July 2026, together with the recorded date of birth of every director appointed at incorporation – 474,121 companies and 583,861 founders in total. Each of the UK's 360 local authorities was then ranked on the share of its founders aged over 60 and t

According to new research from Novuna Business Finance, there has been a rise in the percentage of Scottish small businesses forecasting growth in the next three months. A quarter (25 per cent) of Scottish small businesses anticipate growth, up from 15 per cent this time last year. However, the research also revealed that many Scottish small businesses are worried about what could be announced in the UK Budget later this month. Almost half (48 per cent) said that further hi

Food-service business, Sephra Europe, which focuses on the dessert sector, has announced a key promotion, as the business looks to capitalise on its strong performances over the past two years. Callum Bond, who was Sephra’s sales and business-development manager, has been promoted to sales director at the firm, which has its European headquarters in Kirkcaldy, as well as a US division, based in Pennsylvania. Callum, who lives in Fife, joined Sephra 11 years ago, to manage the