Hello and welcome to our daily digest of business, financial and economic news from around Scotland.
1. STV Studios has announced that two further series of the police drama Blue Lights have been commissioned by the BBC.
The first series of the show, set in Belfast, was broadcast last year to widespread critical acclaim and a second will be shown on BBC1 in the spring.
A third and fourth series have been confirmed, to be produced by Two Cities Television, which is 51 per cent owned by STV.
STV and Two Cities are also making Amadeus, a re-imagining of Peter Shaffer’s stage play about fictional encounters between the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. That show will be produced for broadcast on Sky.
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David Mortimer, managing director of STV Studios, said: “Amadeus looks set to be an outstanding original piece for Sky and a commitment to a further two series of Blue Lights from the BBC is testament to the quality and popularity of the show and the talent behind it.”
2. A housebuilder is to start providing more bungalows on its developments. Muir Homes, which is part of Muir Group, said that interest in the style of house was increasing. It believed this may be a result of Scotland’s ageing population leading to more people wanting to live on one level.
The company said that its Deer Pines project in Stanley, Perthshire, will have two styles of bungalow included in its mix of houses.
Martin Smith, chief executive of Muir Group, said: “Scotland’s changing demographics have been clear to see for some time now and with more and more interest in bungalows we are taking a strategic decision to build more of them going forward.”
3. Menzies Aviation has expanded its cargo activities at Budapest airport.
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A 10,000 square metre extension of facilities will enable Menzies to handle 85,000 tonnes of cargo at the airport a year, compared with 49,000 at present.
New temperature-controlled, animal handling and high-value spaces have also been added.
Menzies said that it invested $1 million in the building and had committed $6 million for rental of the space. Beau Paine, head of cargo at Menzies, said that the site had become “a key gateway” to central and eastern Europe.
4. A subsea robotics specialist has been acquired for an undisclosed sum.HPR ROV,based in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, has been sold to Aberdeen’s Subtron Group.
The move is expected to create five new jobs and take HPR’s workforce to 17.
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Subtron said that the deal would help HPR to move into the renewable energy market as well as continuing to provide inspection and maintenance services to the oil and gas sector.
5. A funding consultancy is moving its head office from Aberdeen to Edinburgh. Innovative Partners, founded in 2019, has taken space on South St Andrew Street in the capital.
As well as offering financial advice, the business also invests in early-stage technology firms. Andrew Marshall, co-founder, said that the firm would retain a presence in Aberdeen and had plans to grow its workforce in Edinburgh.
