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Invest Edinburgh Blog...

Blogging about city development, business and economic issues around the Edinburgh city region.

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  • A new business park is being developed to the west of Edinburgh, Tuesday May 07 2013

    A new business park is being developed to the west of Edinburgh. Kirsty Palmer, Associate Director for Jones Lang LaSalle, explains more…

    What is West Edinburgh Business Park?

     

    It is a new 1.69 hectare (4.19 acre) business development based at the south side of South Gyle Crescent on Edinburgh’s western periphery, and is located on the site of the former Pentad office development.

    The initial first and second phases of the project will see 52,452 sq ft of modern industrial units in four terraces for business, general industrial and storage and distribution use, including an allowance for 20% of the floor area to be used for trade and retail.

    Phase 1 is expected to be complete in spring 2014. Plans for the remainder of the site remain flexible, with design and build opportunities available from 10,000 to 40,000 sq ft.

    Why is it important?

    Significantly, this is the first speculative industrial development of its kind in the city since 2008, indicating an optimistic outlook in terms of market demand for industrial space in Edinburgh. Almost half of the requirements we’ve received for industrial property in Edinburgh this year are for units less than 5,000 square feet in size. There’s been no new space being brought to the Edinburgh market to cater for this demand due to a lack of speculative development. There has also been a significant increase in the level of take up for units in excess of 10,000 square feet. West Edinburgh Business Park is a flexible scheme, able to accommodate a wide range of requirements, so will help meet this demand.

    Who are the developers/promoters and who are you looking to attract?

    The site is being developed by Edinburgh-based contractors J Smart & Co and marketed by joint agents Jones Lang LaSalle and Burns and Shaw. Both the developers and the agents will be looking to attract new and existing businesses in the area, focusing on small and medium sized enterprises with trade counter and warehousing requirements. The park will be marketed towards occupiers looking for modern industrial warehousing under 5,000 sq ft and for a number of bespoke unit sizes ranging from 10,000 to 40,000 sq ft. The new units will be available to lease on a full repairing and insuring bases, and full quoting terms, including rent, are available from the agents.

    How will this development complement Edinburgh's current commercial property offering?

    Edinburgh’s industrial commercial property market has been relatively slow in recent years with nothing in the way of new development since 2008. Occupiers with smaller requirements have tended to look further afield within the central belt to take advantage of lower costs and good transport links. The development of West Edinburgh Business Park will now provide the industrial market with a major driver for establishing distribution and warehousing units, which will in turn have a positive benefit on the local economy through employment opportunities and its impact on the local area as a place to do business.

     

  • Scottish outdoor sports business Craigdon Mountain Sports has started work on a new £3m retail and cafe hub in Edinburgh, Monday April 15 2013

    Scottish outdoor sports business Craigdon Mountain Sports has started work on a new £3m retail and cafe hub in Edinburgh. We spoke to Craigdon Partner Gordon Lee…

    Who is Craigdon and what do you do?

    We’re a leading supplier of outdoor clothing, equipment and accessories based in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire. We also have stores in Inverness, Perth, and Aberdeen, and a very successful online shop. We were set up in the 1980's as a family business and now employ 90 staff across Scotland. We stock a massive collection of products from the industry’s top manufacturers and are particularly strong in boot fitting for walking and snow sports. We also offer camping, fell running and climbing gear for the whole family.

    What is the new ‘mountain sports hub’ and what will happen there?

    The Craigdon Mountain Sports Facility our new flagship Edinburgh store is our first purpose built shop and restaurant and involves a £3m investment. It will be an ‘ecological hub’ for mountain sports information and equipment supply next to the Edinburgh City Bypass and the dry ski slope on the site of the former Fairmile Inn on Biggar Road. The state-of-the art building will combine a retail outlet and cafe. The innovative design (by Craigdon) incorporates grey water harvesting and extensive use of solar and insulated panels. This will cost us more to construct, but means cheaper running costs and ultimately lower prices for the customer and a lower impact on the environment.

    Why did you choose Edinburgh?

    We chose Edinburgh because of its high population of end users in outdoor products. We’ve been looking for a key location in Edinburgh for more than 12 years, and Fairmile is the perfect location, with the dry ski slope on its doorstep and the main arterial road to the Pentland Hills for walkers and mountain bikers.

    What’s your vision for the new hub?

    We want our new hub to be a great meeting place for outdoor enthusiasts and a ‘destination’ shopping experience. The building itself is stunning and naturally draws the eye to the fantastic views of the surrounding Pentland Hills. The Edinburgh store will create 16 new jobs and will complement our internet business perfectly. We’ll also be able to provide a click and collect area, which will be a great additional asset. We’re looking forward to having the site in operation by November this year.

  • University of Edinburgh has set up The Edinburgh India Institute to boost cultural, business and academic ties, Monday March 25 2013

    The University of Edinburgh has set up the The Edinburgh India Institute to boost cultural, business and academic ties with India. Director Professor Roger Jeffery explains more…

    What will the India Institute do?

    We want to build on existing links – such as faculty and student exchanges, joint research projects and joint teaching – between Edinburgh and India, and develop new ones. We know of links to 96 institutions or departments in India. We have memoranda of understanding with most of the leading Indian universities and research institutes, for instance in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. Members of the university know a lot about India, are engaged with India and I would like to see that information and engagement made available for the wider benefit of the university and the city.

    What historical connections are there between Edinburgh and India?

    The university has been training people who have gone to India since the middle of the 18th century. The city has strong links through the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons and through the Botanical Gardens, with all sorts of plants that have come back from India. Church of Scotland missionary activity also had a strong educational impact, for example with Madras Christian College.

    What’s your own background?

    I’m a sociologist and started doing research in India in the early 1970s. I look at health, politics and education and at aspects of access to medicines, so I’ve carried out many research trips to India. I speak Hindi and for the last two years I’ve been Dean International for India.

    What's your vision for the institute?

    The vision for the Institute is to build India into the everyday activities of the university in a variety of ways and to make these links areavailable more broadly. For example I’d like to see much better arrangements for Indian students in Edinburgh. In the 1870s, Edinburgh had the first Indian Students Association. We should be resuscitating that across the city – it’s something that should be open to all Indian students in the city, not just those at the University of Edinburgh. So we want to make Edinburgh a city of choice for Indian students, and India a country of choice for outward looking international activity for the university and for the city.

  • Venture capital firm Rock Spring Ventures has opened a new £50m life sciences and health technology fund in Edinburgh, Monday March 18 2013

    Venture capital firm Rock Spring Ventures has opened a new £50m life sciences and health technology fund in Edinburgh. We spoke to Managing Partner Sinclair Dunlop...

    What will the fund do?

    It will provide early stage growth capital to the most exciting new health technology companies coming out of Scotland’s universities.

    How are things going?

    The real update is that we’re now beginning to work very closely with our university partners (Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen) and have started looking at a shortlist of very exciting new technologies. We’re now beginning the due diligence process on these and expect to make our first investment later in the year.

    What’s your own background?

    This is my fourth early stage venture fund. I’ve been doing early stage company building for more than 15 years, always with a focus on new technologies and always in the healthcare, life sciences and biotech area. We’re looking for the next big breakthrough, for disruptrive technology that has the potential to have a big impact on health and patient care. We like the idea of a geographic market which has a world-class science base and world-class universities but lacks early stage capital. I have an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York and prior to that a degree in economics from Glasgow University.

    Why did you decide to base the fund in Edinburgh?

    We think the Scottish market has huge potential in terms of the quality of its universities and the quality of the life sciences research here. We wanted to establish a very strong Scottish presence and Edinburgh is the logical location to do that. Edinburgh is where a lot of high quality university research and life sciences work also meets the financial services sector, so in a Scottish context it’s the ideal place to be.

    What excites you most about the potential you've seen so far?

    We believe the science exists in Scotland for having a huge impact on patients’ lives and potentially even cures for certain diseases. We think the science here in Scotland just needs to be combined with better access to early stage capital. If we can bring one, the high quality science, together with two, the risk capital, we think we’re onto a winner.

     

  • Malaysian group Tune Hotels has opened a 179-bedroom property in Edinburgh – its first UK hotel outside of London, Monday February 18 2013

    Malaysian group Tune Hotels has opened a 179-bedroom property in Edinburgh – its first UK hotel outside of London. We spoke to Tune Hotel Haymarket General Manager Ray Chandler…

    Who is Tune Hotels?

    We’re part of the lifestyle business conglomerate,Tune Group, that was founded by Malaysian entrpreneurs Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun. The Tune Group of companies are Tune Air, Tune Hotels, Tune Money, Tune Talk, Tune Box, Tune Studios, Tune Tones, Caterham F1, ASEAN Basketball League, Queens Park Rangers Football Club (QPR) and Kuala Lumpur Education City (owner of Epsom College in Malaysia).

    Tune Hotels have brought major investment in to the UK in developing the product. Since Tune Hotels was first launched in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2007, over four million guests have stayed in one of its properties, currently totalling 27 hotels with 11 in Malaysia, 4 in the Philippines, 5 in the UK, 3 in Indonesia and 4 in Thailand. Tune Hotel Melbourne, Australia and Tune Hotel Ahmedabad, India are due to open in 2013.

    Explain your pricing structure and what inspired this?

    Sometimes, all you really need from a hotel is a hot shower and a good night's rest. That's why our limited service hotels offer beds at very affordable prices by getting rid of costly full service extras (pools, spas, saunas, room service or the like) that you just don't need and shouldn't have to pay for. You can tailor your accommodation experience to suit your own budget or your needs. We provide you with good basics, 5 star quality beds, powerful showers, a central and convenient location, a clean environment and 24 hours security.

    Edinburgh is a fantastic city with a whole gambit of food styles and offerings and lots to see. No need to spend time inside a hotel bedroom.

    What attracted you to Edinburgh?

    Introducing the Tune Hotel brand to Scotland was an important business move for us. The demand for a low cost hotel that offers good quality basics and, importantly, a great night sleep is becoming ever more important as tourists and business travellers are swayed by price but unwilling to trade down.

    Edinburgh is an immensely important trade and tourism hub and we’re excited to harness its potential. Further Scottish development is definitely on the cards as we look to introduce the brand to a number of Scottish cities.

    How is it going so far and what's your ambition for the business?

    It’s starting off well with the hotel finished and operating smoothly with a great team of welcoming staff. We’ve had great responses from our customers who on the whole have appreciated the concept and the new brand. It is Tune’s intention to expand within Scotland and throughout the UK.

    Internationally we are developing new Tune hotels in India, East Africa, Australia and hopefully a dabble in America.

  • Scotland’s first soup café, Union of Genius, is looking to raise £10,000 from ‘crowd funding’, Friday January 25 2013

    Scotland’s first soup café, Union of Genius, is looking to raise £10,000 from ‘crowd funding’ to open a commercial kitchen at its Edinburgh base. Owner Elaine Mason tells us more…

    What is Union of Genius and what’s the inspiration?

    To me the name sums up what a great soup is – a blend of lots of different ingredients that is more than the sum of its parts. We have a small café at 8 Forrest Road making the best soup in Edinburgh from locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. Our recipes include broccoli, bacon and chilli; devilled pumpkin with lemongrass & sour cherry; and Afghan spiced carrot. I adore cooking and have been thinking about the soup café idea for 8 to 10 years. I was previously head of sales at British Geological Survey, and when the opportunity came up to take voluntary redundancy, that was my chance.

    How much are you looking to raise and what’s it for?

    We’re looking to raise £10,000 to open a commercial kitchen. We opened the café 15 months ago and can no longer keep up with demand. As well as offering six different soups every day to our customers, nine other cafés already stock our soup and several more want to. We have quite a small unit here and the kitchen isn’t big enough to cope with everything! We’ve already identified a site and need the funds to kit it out.

    How is it going so far?

    We’re using Kickstarter, the online funding platform where people pledge funds to creative projects. Since hitting the button last Friday evening we’ve raised about £3,700, which has completely floored me. But it’s all or nothing. If we don’t reach our £10,000 target by Sunday 17 February, we lose it all. It’s only when we hit the £10,000 target that people’s cards are debited.

    How can people help?

    Click here to see our Kickstarter page or go to www.kickstarter.com and type ‘Union of Genius’ in the search box. Once you’re on our page click the ‘Back this Project’ box. You can choose how much you want to donate, with a minimum pledge of £1. Supporters will receive different offers depending on how much they donate, for example a free soup or recipe card for £10, a Union of Genius Kickstarter embroidered apron for £40, up to free soup for life for £1,500. Thanks so much for your support!

     

  • Independent Living Services Scotland is creating 100 new carer jobs as part of its expansion, Monday January 21 2013

    Independent Living Services Scotland is creating 100 new carer jobs as part of its expansion in Edinburgh, West Lothian and East Lothian. We spoke to company Chairman Scott Christie…

    Who is ILS Scotland?

    Independent Living Services (ILS Scotland Ltd) is a community-based ‘care at home’ company. We provide services on contract back to local authorities, to support older people at home and people of all ages challenged by disabilities and other issues which make it hard for them to cope with life alone. It‘s also possible to purchase our services on a private basis, to top up care provided through the council contracts or if you’re not eligible for council supported care. In addition we can support people with complex medical needs, often following serious injury or progressive neurological conditions.

    We cover almost every part of the country, from Aberdeen / Aberdeenshire down to the Borders, and have a dedicated workforce of more than 1600 individuals.

    Why and where are you creating these new jobs?

    Scotland’s elderly population is predicted to rise by more than half a million over the next two decades, and this is leading to increased demands on care at home services, which can help support older people to live in their own homes rather than in long-term residential care.

    A little bit of help can go a long way towards maintaining an independent lifestyle, and this is exactly where we fit in. We support people with some of the everyday tasks we all take for granted, such as bathing, shopping, domestic chores and cooking meals. Companionship is also very important. We’re delighted to be expanding in Edinburgh, East Lothian and West Lothian in order to meet growing demand for these services.

    (Independent Living Services Scotland Chairman, Scott Christie)

    What kind of skills/roles are you looking for?

    We’re looking for people who share our commitment to working in the community and who really want to make a difference to people’s lives.

    Experience and relevant qualifications help, but they’re certainly not essential. Full training is provided prior to working in the community, as well as ongoing training and support with the opportunity for career progression, and an SVQ training programme has been launched for all members of our teams. Many of our new recruits have changed career into the care sector (e.g. from factory and retail work) and loved it as a result, deriving great job satisfaction which comes from a genuine interest in working with people.

    How can people find out more?

    Anyone interested in working for ILS in Edinburgh, West Lothian or East Lothian can get in touch by calling the recruitment hotline on 0800 232 1039, or through the ILS Recruitment website www.ilsrecruitment.com

  • An innovative hothouse for business start-ups is to be launched in Edinburgh by Entrepreneurial-Spark, Monday December 17 2012

    An innovative hothouse for business start-ups is to be launched in Edinburgh by Entrepreneurial-Spark, the business accelerator specialist. We spoke to Jim Duffy, CEO of the new Edinburgh Hatchery…

    What is Entrepreneurial Spark?

    We’re a hybrid of a business incubator and business accelerator – we call them Hatcheries – where start-up and early stage businesses are hot-housed, nurtured and enabled for up to one year. This includes free office space and support, entrepreneurial enablement, mentors, cash prizes and events. Our vision is to create a business start-up renaissance in and from Scotland, through the development of entrepreneurial mindsets and behaviours. Applications are now being invited for the Edinburgh Hatchery (deadline 30th January), which opens on 4th of February:

    What kind of businesses or ideas are you looking for?

    Our ‘Chiclets’ are typically:

    From the seed of an idea through to three years of trading, any age, any sector, sparking individuals with the drive and determination to execute their ideas, individuals with a ‘GoDo’ attitude and individuals who are opportunity hungry and have the ability to focus and drive their business forward

    Who is behind this venture?

    Our founders are entrepreneurs, who have had good times and bad times in business start-ups so have invaluable experience to share. Our Hatcheries in Glasgow and Ayrshire are supported by Scots entrepreneur Sir Willie Haughey and Sir Tom Hunter’s Hunter Foundation, alongside Glasgow City Council and the three Ayrshire councils. I’m ‘Chief Executive Optimist’ of the new Edinburgh Hatchery, with free office space provided by Edinburgh Napier University and supported by Edinburgh City Council. I trained at Babson College in Massachusetts – which runs the USA’s leading Graduate MBA Programme for entrepreneurship – and have had a diverse career including police sergeant and entrepreneur! Our co-founder is Brian McGuire – Group Managing Director for Visioncall Group, which provides NHS optician services to housebound patients in Scotland. Our Sparky team also includes a range of Entrepreneurial Enablers, Development Dynamos, supporters and mentors who volunteer their time to make the venture possible.

    What do you hope to achieve?

    We want to create start-up communities across Scotland which are non-sectorial and where all types of business can work in a collaborative, creative workspace. We’ve spent 9 months researching the business start-up landscape in Scotland and the USA and believe the most effective way to kick-start new ventures in Scotland is through a process called entrepreneurial enablement. Giving start-ups the best possible start allows them to build up a decent head of steam – so they can make their first and second birthdays – and add important economic and social value to Scotland as a result.

     

    Applications for our Edinburgh Hatchery opening on the 4th of February are now invited on our website under the ‘Hatcheries’ tab http://www.entrepreneurial-spark.com/the-hatcheries/apply-now-to-the-hatchery.aspx ….so #GoDo (deadline 30th Jan)

  • Edinburgh-based flight search engine Skyscanner expanding Asia Pacific office in Singapore to cope with soaring demand.., Monday October 29 2012

    Edinburgh-based flight search engine Skyscanner is expanding its Asia Pacific office in Singapore to cope with soaring demand. Co-founder and Chief Executive Gareth Williams explains how business in the region is taking off…

    When and why did you open your Singapore office?

    Over the past few years, we have seen huge increases in traffic to our site from across Asia Pacific. We’re very much an international business and wanted to establish a base in the region to support our future growth.

    Singapore made sense for us as a base to build from in Asia and we opened our office there last June. It’s well-connected to travel to other parts of Asia and has a wide range of nationalities, which makes it a strong base for our business and an excellent location in which to recruit the very highest calibre of staff.

    How is it going and what’s driving growth?

    Really well! One year after opening our office, we’ve already had to move to larger premises to enable us to double our current headcount and we’re seeing annual growth across the region of up to 400%. Traffic to Skyscanner from Asia Pacific now makes up more than 15% of our 30m visits per month.

    Much of this is down to the success of our mobile apps in Asia. In some APAC markets, visits to the Skyscanner site via mobile devices is as high as 50% of total traffic - matching that of the traditional desktop website and a clear sign that travellers are increasingly looking to plan and book their travel on the go.

    We’re pretty confident that this is just the start in Asia for us. We also opened a Beijing office in September this year and signed a deal with Baidu -China’s number 1 search engine -to display Skyscanner results directly on the results page after a user searches for international flights.

     

    What does this mean for your Edinburgh and Singapore bases and people?

    Our rapid international growth has led to a recruitment drive in Asia as well as at our Edinburgh base. We’ve just opened a new HQ in Quartermile in Edinburgh and expect to create an additional 100 jobs in the next year in Scotland alone (we currently employ 170 staff). We’re also planning to open a Glasgow office next year to enable us to recruit across the Scottish central belt.

    What’s next for Skyscanner?

    While we’ve now been going for ten years, we still see ourselves very much as a start-up business in terms of our mind-set and we’re expecting to grow the business significantly in the next few years.  We’re working on expanding our existing service, adding extra functionality such as rail search, as well as making the most of technology to make travel search quicker and easier. We’re also continuing to expand into new markets and the Americas is going to be a key focus for us as we continue to grow internationally.

     

  • Global energy services company Senergy to more than double its Edinburgh workforce, Tuesday October 16 2012

    Global energy services company Senergy is to more than double its Edinburgh workforce with the opening of a new city centre office. We spoke to Alasdair Buchanan, Senergy’s chief operating officer…

    Who is Senergy and what do you do?

    We are a global energy services company headquartered in Aberdeen and employing more than 700 people across offices in the UK, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Australia, South East Asia and the Americas. We specialise in providing project and asset development services, helping clients develop and manage oil and gas fields and alternative energy projects. We also offer associated services including specialist technical training and develop and support software for the oil and gas industry.

    How and why are you expanding in Edinburgh?

    We unveiled new offices in Aberdeen, Dubai and Bath earlier this year and our move to new premises in Edinburgh is a continuation of this growth. We had been looking to expand our operations in the city for some time due to increased demand. We expect to double our team in Edinburgh from 16 to 32 to further strengthen our team of technical and support staff. So the new building we’ve moved into at 102 West Port will accommodate this expansion because it can house up to 40 people.

    What kind of roles and skills are you seeking?

    The range of disciplines span a number of areas, including product optimisation, subsurface, finance, marketing, training and HR. We are also looking to further attract new recruits for our subsurface business, particularly reservoir engineers of all levels.

    Who are your clients and what are your growth ambitions?

    Our client base continues to evolve around the world and includes top league operators such as Centrica, GDF Suez, BG Group, Statoil and Noreco. We are ambitious to grow and have driven this by expanding facilities and collaborations across the world. This year has seen joint-venture research projects established with universities in Malaysia and the US, while we have also launched our Edinburgh office and opened a new Middle East facility in Dubai, as well as bolstering our base with a new office in Aberdeen.