Alistair Houghton

1 week ago | business-live.co.uk | Alistair Houghton

A water treatment specialist has been acquired by a Scottish firm looking to grow its operations in the North West of England. Cleartech Group, based in Blantyre to the south of Glasgow, specialises in air conditioning maintenance, water treatment and Legionella compliance work. It had already expanded into England with an office in Tyne and Wear and in London, our sister title Insider.co.uk reports.

1 week ago | business-live.co.uk | Alistair Houghton |David Humphreys

Plans for a £100m rail station in a growing district on the edge of Liverpool city centre could be approved within days. The ambitious project is due to be considered by Liverpool City Council's planning committee next week. In November, two years after plans were first announced, it was announced that a formal planning application had been lodged by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) for the revival of the old St James station in the thriving Baltic Triangle area.

1 week ago | insider.co.uk | Alistair Houghton

A property software firm founded by nuclear submarine design engineers has expanded across the UK after completing a nationwide rollout with letting and estate agents Belvoir and Northwood. Edinburgh’s SME Professional will now provide property software and customer relationship management (CRM) support for all of Belvoir and Northwood’s 250 letting and estate agent offices - from Aberdeen to Plymouth.

1 week ago | insider.co.uk | Alistair Houghton

Scotland has seen a rise in both employment and unemployment rates, according to the latest data from the the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The unemployment rate for 16 to 64 year olds in Scotland increased by 0.3% to 4.2% from December 2024 to February 2025, while the UK rate stood at 4.4%. Meanwhile, Scotland's employment rate rose by 0.2% to 74.3%, falling short of the UK rate of 75.1%.

1 week ago | insider.co.uk | Alistair Houghton

Two Aberdeen businesses have been acquired by a London-based shipping container specialist as it looks to expand its offshore business. Cargostore Worldwide – which is backed by private equity firms Connection Capital and Agathos Management – has acquired Reftrade UK and Environstore in what it calls a “multi-million pound deal”. It’s the first deal in Cargostore’s history and the group said: “The businesses are now positioned to scale across the UK and international markets”.