A Scottish hotel has been put up for sale after its owning company fell into administration.

The Dalkeith Hotel “currently operates very profitably" and has a government accommodation contract, administrators said.

The sale move this week comes after Edinburgh-registered owning company Dalkeith Apartments Ltd went into administration.

The Herald: Peter Seymour, director at Graham and Sibbald, said: 'The Dalkeith Hotel currently operates very profitably with a government accommodation supply contract.'Peter Seymour, director at Graham and Sibbald, said: 'The Dalkeith Hotel currently operates very profitably with a government accommodation supply contract.' (Image: Graham and Sibbald)

Graham and Sibbald has brought the property at 152 High Street, Dalkeith, to market on the instructions of Ian Wright and Scott Milne, Quantama Advisory Limited, joint administrators of Dalkeith Apartments Ltd.

The former County Hotel has been has been extensively refurbished as an aparthotel and has 33 letting rooms.

Graham and Sibbald is inviting offers around £3 million for the Dalkeith Hotel.

Former Clydesdale Bank to close six branches in Scotland

Virgin Money, owner of the former Clydesdale Bank, this week announced plans to close nearly a third of its UK branch network including six outlets in Scotland.

The Herald: Virgin said the stores which are closing had seen an average reduction in customer transactions of 43% since March 2020, with 96% of customers in these stores transacting on average less than once a month.Virgin said the stores which are closing had seen an average reduction in customer transactions of 43% since March 2020, with 96% of customers in these stores transacting on average less than once a month. (Image: Newsquest)

The bank, which refers to its branches as "stores", said the closures are necessary to meet changing customer demand. It added that it will work "wherever possible" to find alternative roles for staff affected by the closures, but "some colleagues will be at risk of redundancy".

Tributes to popular publican

Tributes were paid this week following the death of Paul McDonagh, the publican who put renowned Glasgow bar The Bon Accord on the map.

The Herald: The Bon Accord, which has more than 500 whiskies on its gantry and sells more than 800 varieties of real ale per year, won a glittering array of awards during Mr McDonagh’s tenure, including numerous prizes from CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) and the title of UK Whisky Bar of the Year.The Bon Accord, which has more than 500 whiskies on its gantry and sells more than 800 varieties of real ale per year, won a glittering array of awards during Mr McDonagh’s tenure, including numerous prizes from CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) and the title of UK Whisky Bar of the Year. (Image: Bon Accord)

The hugely popular licensee built an international reputation for the bar’s single malt Scotch whisky and cask ale range. The McDonagh family have run the pub, located on North Street close to the Mitchell Library, for 22 years. It is now run by Mr McDonagh's son Thomas.

Menzies welcomes major new shareholder in £49m deal

European parcel delivery group InPost has acquired a 30% stake in Edinburgh-based Menzies Distribution for £49.3 million.

The Herald: The deal comes less than five years after the road haulage business was sold by its parent company to private equity group Endless for £74.5m. John Menzies severed its historic ties with the newspaper trade to focus on its aviation services operations.The deal comes less than five years after the road haulage business was sold by its parent company to private equity group Endless for £74.5m. John Menzies severed its historic ties with the newspaper trade to focus on its aviation services operations. (Image: PA)

The deal includes a three-year option to buy the remaining 70% of the Scottish company, which employs about 5,000 people providing newspaper distribution, business-to-business final mile delivery, and other transportation and warehousing services. It follows an agreement earlier this year in which Menzies became InPost's exclusive logistics provider in the UK.