Work will begin this summer on a £100 million golf resort, hotel and spa in the Angus countryside after councillors approved an updated masterplan for the "once in a generation" luxury destination.

Scheduled to open in 2024, the development on the Shank of Omachie near Broughty Ferry will boast Dundee and Angus’s first five-star hotel offering 175 guest rooms, a rooftop sky bar and 1,900sq metres of spa and leisure facilities overlooking the Tay Estuary and St Andrews. A hotel partner is expected to be announced in the coming months.

The Herald: Angus Forbes, owner of the new Angus golf resort destinationAngus Forbes, owner of the new Angus golf resort destination

The site will also be the anchor for a signature golf course by Irish champion golfer Darren Clarke, alongside a clubhouse and golf academy with driving range, plus 160 houses and 10 luxury lodges.

Updated plans for the resort were submitted in November of last year after Angus Council granted a section 42 order in 2017 to allow a newly-appointed project team to make alterations to the original designs. The project is being led by Angus businessman Mike Forbes, owner of the nearby Forbes of Kingennie country resort.

Edinburgh oil firm underlines appeal of North Sea

 

The Herald:

A leading Scottish oil firm, Capricorn Energy, has underlined the appeal of investing in the North Sea, amid the prospect of disruption to supplies following Russia’s assault on Ukraine.

The former Cairn Energy said a range of factors combined to make the North Sea an attractive place to invest as the company said it was in the market for acquisitions that would allow it to increase production.

John Menzies suitor granted more time to bid for Scots company

 

The Herald:

The Kuwaiti company that is hoping to acquire John Menzies has been granted more time to make a formal offer, as the Scottish company underlined its increasing recovery from the pandemic.

National Aviation Services (NAS) now has until 5pm on March 30 to announce a firm intention to make an offer for the Edinburgh-based aviation services company or walk away, following a request for an extension from the Menzies board.

Late founder's dream 'comes to fruition' in staff ownership deal

 

The Herald:

The legacy of one of the most renowned figures in Scotland’s financial sector has been secured six months after his death as employees of Alan Steel Asset Management (ASAM) have taken majority ownership of the business.

Mr Steel, who set up the award-winning advisory firm in 1975 in his hometown of Linlithgow, had hoped to complete the sale of ASAM to an Employee Owned Trust by October of last year. However, these plans were delayed after the 74-year-old lost a month-long battle with Covid in September.

Stagecoach chiefs accept new bid valuing bus giant at £600m

 

The Herald:

The battle for Stagecoach has taken a dramatic turn after it emerged the board of the Perth-based bus giant had reached agreement on a cash offer from a German investment company valuing it at nearly £600 million, eclipsing a previous deal tabled by National Express.

And the 105p per share offer from a fund managed by DWS Infrastructure, valuing Stagecoach at £595m, could lead to the headquarters of Stagecoach staying in Perth, with the current management team led by chief executive Martin Griffiths remaining in place.

Partners' bonuses reinstated as John Lewis posts record revenue

 

The Herald:

Retailer John Lewis has returned to paying its employees a full-year bonus and will shell out a further £54 million on top of that for a 2 per cent pay rise to ensure all staff are earning the minimum of the real living wage.

The move comes as the group’s eponymous department store chain racked up record annual sales for the year to January 29. Its upmarket Waitrose chain of supermarkets posted a 1% increase in revenues, though trading profits fell due to “significant” cost inflation.

Insight, opinion, analysis

Scott Wright: Asian food firm dreams of creating ‘mini-Chinatown’ in Glasgow

Mark Williamson: Taxpayers must share green energy bonanza

Ian McConnell on Wednesday: Tory MP’s red tape bellyaching beggars belief

Scott Wright: Ukraine crisis sparks new questions for Scottish business

Ian McConnell on Friday: High time Tories woke up to UK inflation crisis misery

Kristy Dorsey: Bright spots amid the inflation gloom

The Herald: