HELLO and welcome to the AM Business Briefing on Tuesday, August 17, as the Office for National Statistics said Scotland's unemployment rate dropped slightly in the last quarter, with the rate for people aged 16 and over between April and June was 4.3%, a 0.1% drop on the previous quarter.
This was below the UK-wide unemployment rate of 4.7% for over-16s.
UK grocery sales have gone down by 4% over the past three months, data firm Kantar found, while separately it was revealed number of orders placed on Just Eat in the UK soared by 58 million in the first six months of 2021 to 135 million compared with a year earlier.
In the City, Adam Crozier, former boss of the FA, ITV and Royal Mail, has been appointed chairman of telecoms giant BT, while one of the largest sites of its kind in Scotland is being marketed and a new take on takeaways is being championed by a former footballer and an Edinburgh entrepreneur.
Major Scottish distribution hub plan revealed
Scarborough Muir Group has appointed CBRE and Colliers to jointly market one of Scotland’s largest development projects called Queensferry One under revised plans.
Sited near Rosyth adjacent to Junction 1B of the M90 and Queensferry Crossing, the development site spans 120-acres and has outline planning consent for 1.4m sq ft of mixed-use space.
Following a strong resurgence in the industrial and logistics market fuelled by the impact of Brexit and Covid-19, Scarborough Muir Group said it has taken the strategic decision to revise the original masterplan, with the intention of creating a major distribution hub in the Central Belt of Scotland.
Ross Jubin, development and investment consultant for Scarborough Muir Group, said: “We constantly assess all of our developments to ensure they remain relevant and attractive to potential occupiers. By adjusting the mix of uses to reflect the latest market dynamics, Queensferry One is now better positioned than ever before to provide a combination of high-specification industrial and logistics space in an attractive and easily-accessible environment.
“The revision of the masterplan was also an opportunity to re-evaluate our agency team. We selected CBRE and Colliers for their collective experience and expertise in the industrial and logistics market, as well as their fresh ideas and new ways of thinking, and we look forward to working with them in finding the right occupiers for Queensferry One.”
Craig Semple, associate director at CBRE, said: "Fife has been totally transformed over the last five years. Thanks to the addition of the Queensferry Crossing, it is now a viable alternative to any of the other established industrial and logistics hubs across the Central Belt of Scotland.”
“We’re delighted to be involved with Queensferry One and our team of local, national and international experts are looking forward to being involved with this exciting project”.
Lewis Pentland, associate director at Colliers, said: “There’s very little quality industrial and logistics space currently available across the Central Belt of Scotland.
"Queensferry One’s location adjacent to the M90 motorway and port of Rosyth will play a key part in meeting the demand that has persisted over the past 18-24 months, from both national and international occupiers who can see the clear benefits of operating from this exceptional location.”
Scarborough Muir Group is joint venture between UK real estate developer and investor, Scarborough Group International and Inverkeithing-based contractor Muir Group
Construction begins on Scottish windfarm development with 'UK's tallest onshore turbines'
Construction of a wind farm extension in Scotland featuring what are described as the “UK’s tallest onshore wind turbines”, at 200 metres high, is under way.
Hospitality veteran and former top-flight footballer aiming to ‘revolutionise’ how Scots enjoy takeaway
Entrepreneur David Hall, a former general manager of Edinburgh boutique hotel Tigerlily, has teamed up with ex-Hearts FC footballer George Wright to launch a business which aims to “revolutionise the way Scots enjoy takeaways”.
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