Chartered surveyors and property consultants, Graham + Sibbald, have welcomed a new director of hotel and leisure valuation services to their Edinburgh team. Gregor Porteous joins from CBRE and brings over 10 years of experience in providing strategic property investment and valuation advice to a broad range of clients in the hotel, leisure and operator sector. The hotel and leisure department currently has a 10-strong team across the UK and Gregor is directly supported by se

Hospitality business, The Social Hub, has submitted plans to reimagine a long‑derelict site in Edinburgh as a £200m hospitality and community ‘powerhouse’. The B Corp-certified group, founded by Edinburgh-born Charlie MacGregor, has submitted proposals for the former Fountain Brewery site in Fountainbridge, which has stood vacant for around 20 years. The scheme forms part of the wider masterplan to regenerate the area and will help deliver affordable housing, now being progre

An Edinburgh-based livestock adviser helping farmers across Scotland and northern England improve animal welfare has won Farm Adviser of the Year at the 2026 British Farming Awards. Chloe Rodriguez, an animal-welfare specialist at Galebreaker, received the national accolade in recognition of her practical, research-led approach to improving livestock health, welfare and productivity. Having relocated to Edinburgh this year, Chloe works with dairy, beef and pig farmers to asse

Darren Pilley, general manager at Doctors pub in Edinburgh, has been crowned a Greene King General Manager of the Year, recognising his outstanding contribution to the pub, team and customers. Darren was one of just nine pub leaders from across the country to receive the accolade at Greene King’s annual Managed Pub Conference, held in Manchester earlier this month. Darren was recognised for his dedication and inspiring leadership. The annual awards celebrate general managers

Leith’s luxury floating hotel, Fingal, has been crowned both Europe's Leading Boutique Hotel and Scotland's Leading Boutique Hotel at the World Travel Awards 2026. The awards were established in 1993 to celebrate excellence across the global travel, tourism and hospitality sectors. Commenting on the award, Franck Bruyere, chief executive of The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, said: "To be recognised as both Europe's leading boutique hotel and Scotland's leading boutique hotel

Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce has received the Outstanding Achievement award at the British Chambers of Commerce Chamber Awards 2026, in recognition of the success of its Rising Stars leadership programme, delivered in partnership with The University of Edinburgh. The programme is designed to help emerging professionals build the skills, confidence and networks needed to thrive in a rapidly changing business environment. Developed by the Edinburgh Chamber and delivered with t

Troon-based family business, Hillhouse Group, has officially opened its new £5m asphalt-production facility at Soutra Mains Quarry, near Edinburgh, marking a significant milestone in the Group’s expansion across the east of Scotland. Edinburgh Asphalt began production in October, bringing Hillhouse’s asphalt-production capability to the east of Scotland for the first time in its 119-year history. The new facility provides customers across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Scottish B

Global architectural, consulting and construction-engineering firm, Egis, has appointed Mark Docherty as energy director for the UK and Ireland as the firm continues to expand its energy offering across the region. Based in Edinburgh, Mark brings 38 years of experience in the energy sector. He joins from Arcadis, where he was global offshore wind practice lead and partner, as well as UK sector leader for networks and energy. Mark has also held senior leadership roles at sever

Award-winning Scottish textile and interiors designer, Mairi Helena, has launched a new botanical collection, completing a trilogy of collaborations with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE). The Palm House collection is a new range of ceramics, tea towels, aprons and stationery inspired by the iconic glasshouses at RBGE. The collection coincides with the reopening of the RBGE’s Victorian Palm House, marking the third chapter in an ongoing creative partnership between M

Retail and office-space operator, URW (Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield), has secured four major signings at Westfield St James Quarter, welcoming women’s athleisure brand, TALA; Italian fashion label, Subdued: Danish outerwear specialist, Rains; and Australian jewellery brand, Harli + Harpa to the destination. Together, the brands will introduce over 7,000 sq. ft. of new fashion, beauty and lifestyle retail space, further strengthening the centre’s premium-brand offering. Const

RoslinCT, a global cell-therapy contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), has announced it has been awarded a £7.25m R&D grant from Scottish Enterprise, to accelerate the digital transformation of its manufacturing operations in Scotland. The funding forms part of RoslinCT’s digital-expansion plan, a multi-year initiative designed to enhance the company’s integrated digital and AI capabilities and further strengthen Scotland’s position as a global hub for ad

Sofa Club has officially opened its new Edinburgh store at Fort Kinnaird Retail Park, marking an expansion for the British furniture brand, which has another six stores, with one in Glasgow, Cardiff, Hertford, Liverpool, Newcastle and Croydon. The new store, covering 9,300 square feet, has been designed to offer more than the traditional furniture shopping experience. At the heart of the store concept is a bespoke sofa atelier, where customers can explore different configura

Atkinsons Bullion & Coins has announced its expansion into Scotland with the opening of a new office, on an appointment-only basis, on Edinburgh’s George Street The new office will provide customers across Scotland and the north of England with access to a range of in-person services, including collecting orders, dropping off precious metals to sell, discussing secure storage options and meeting members of the Atkinsons team. Founded in 1990 by Paul and Keeley Atkinson, the B

Edinburgh-based GLORIAH, a health brand tackling vaginal dryness, has raised £600,000 in a funding round led by Gabriel Investment Syndicate alongside Highland Venture Capital, Investing Women Angels, Apollo Informal Investments and Scottish Enterprise, marking a significant milestone in the company’s growth. The funding will support GLORIAH’s next phase of expansion, including growing its UK retail footprint, preparing for entry into the US market, progressing regulatory wor

Edinburgh innovators have secured a string of awards for university-developed ideas at the 2026 Converge Awards, announced on 1 October. Leading the city’s success is WombWise, developed by Edinburgh Napier University data-engineering graduate Emily Youngs. Emily was crowned winner of the Create Change Challenge at the awards, which celebrate Scotland’s academic innovation. WombWise has been developed to tackle the long delays many women face in securing a diagnosis of endome

As autumn’s darker evenings and changing light conditions emerge, Robert Callander, practice owner of Robert Callander Eyewear, says it’s time for drivers to consider whether their eyewear meets their needs. The Linlithgow-based practice, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, specialises in eyewear for drivers. For drivers who find headlights distracting, struggle with reflections or notice that their glasses feel less comfortable on longer journeys, the team i

Pegasus Group has expanded its national design capability by establishing its first dedicated team in Scotland. The firm said the move would strengthen its urban design, architecture and masterplanning services across public and private-sector development in Scotland and the north of England. Based in Edinburgh, in Torphichen Street, the five-person team is led by Mike Ward, senior director – design lead, who will help grow Pegasus’ design presence across Scotland while suppo

Union Direct, part of Edinburgh-based The Union Group, has been ranked joint 72nd in The Drum’s Indie 100 2026, the publication's global ranking of leading independent agencies, which it revealed in September. It is one of only two Scottish agencies on the list, which features independents from around the world. More than 40 UK agencies made the cut, with over half based in London. This year's ranking used a new, performance-based methodology, combining results in The Drum's

John Lewis and Audley Travel have announced a new partnership, with the award-winning tour operator opening in 12 John Lewis stores across the UK, including Edinburgh, this autumn. The partnership marks a significant milestone for Audley Travel, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The move into its own physical retail space allows Audley to bring its expertise directly to the high street for the first time, in spaces carefully designed to inspire clients’ future

A new partnership between Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) and mobile-cybersecurity firm Approov will aim to improve smartphone security. The Edinburgh-based company has agreed a knowledge-transfer partnership with ENU, which will include the recruitment of two cybersecurity researchers, co-funded by Innovate UK. Over the course of 30 months, Approov and ENU will work together to create innovative defence mechanisms and an offensive test bed – known in cybersecurity as ‘blue