Scottish-built ship to be lowered into water for first time in sea launch

The frigate is part of a £4.2bn contract to build five Royal Navy warships on the Clyde at the company’s Govan and Scotstoun shipyards.

The defence giant revealed its plans for HMS Cardiff in accounts that showed a 9% increase in sales to £25.3bn, and operating profit up 8% to £2.6bn, to December 31. The company also took on 800 new workers in Scotland last year. (Image: BAE Systems)

HMS Glasgow was earlier lowered into the water after a series of manoeuvres to move the vessel from BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard onto a barge before being towed down the Clyde to a deep-water location in the west of Scotland.

Once in position, the float-off involved the base of the barge being submerged over a number of hours until HMS Glasgow fully entered the water.

The defence giant revealed its plans for HMS Cardiff in accounts that showed a 9% increase in sales to £25.3bn, and operating profit up 8% to £2.6bn, to December 31. The company also took on 800 new workers in Scotland last year.

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Jobs lost as Scottish haulage firm ceases trading

All 65 jobs have been lost at an Angus-based haulage firm following the failure to find a buyer for the business.

The business has now ceased trading, with administrators providing assistance to staff to advance their redundancy claims and work with the Redundancy Payments Service. (Image: AAD Transport)

Begbies Traynor were appointed administrators to AAD Transport in February after the family-owned business ran into difficulties in the wake of the Covid pandemic, followed by a surge in fuel and other operating costs. Administrators had spent the last several weeks looking for a buyer, but following negotiations with “a number of closing date bidders” they were unable to secure a deal due to “some challenges within the existing business cost model”.

Read Kristy Dorsey’s story here

Townhouse in Scottish city to be transformed into hotel

An Edinburgh property investment group has acquired a grade B listed townhouse in Leith for a hotel development and completed its conversion of an empty office block in the city centre into a boutique hotel, backed by a £530,000 funding facility.

Nick and Caroline Claydon from Archibald Marckay Group pictured outside 3 John’s Place in Leith alongside Lucie Martin and Brian Machray from Reward Finance Group (Image: Reward Finance Group)

Archibald Marckay Group has used the facility provided by alternative lender Reward Finance Group to drive the growth of its hospitality division, purchase the four-storey townhouse at 3 John’s Place in Leith, and complete its newly opened Eleven Stafford Street hotel. The property was purchased for £975,000, from a pension fund.

Read Ian McConnell’s story here

Former Rangers chiefs invest £7.5m in FlixBus venture

Scottish bus firm McGill’s has stepped up its investment in FlixBus, the inter-city coach operator it moved into partnership with in 2022.

The expansion will begin this spring in anticipation of increased travel demand during the summer. (Image: McGill’s Buses)

McGill’s, owned by former Rangers directors James and Sandy Easdale, is to invest £7.5 million to bring more state-of-the-art long-distance coaches into its fleet. It follows a significant expansion of the partnership between the two companies in 2023, which saw an increase in routes and the expansion of cross-border services.

Read Scott Wright’s story here