Here are the stories making the business headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
Details of £10million Fraserburgh masterplan published
Giant Hollywood-style letters, huts with a hint of Hawaii and hammocks inspired by Fraserburgh’s fishing history could turn the town’s beach into a money-spinning destination.
An ambitious masterplan to rejuvenate the “hugely popular” waterfront and boost the local economy is taking shape.
And these are just some of the features being proposed as part of the multi-million-pound overhaul that has been brewing for the last four years.
Click here to read more in today's Press & Journal.
Linx Ice Arena could be demolished and replaced at Aberdeen Beach
Aberdeen City Council has revealed plans to knock down Aberdeen’s Linx Ice Arena to make way for a “world class combined leisure centre”.
The proposals, published in the P&J, come as the city’s beach masterplan ramps up, with work on a £50million first phase due to begin next year.
One strand of the massive project has always been to build a new, improved leisure complex. And that was one of the reasons given when the 30-year-old Beach Leisure Centre was closed earlier this year.
Under the idea put forward, the new leisure centre would be a “standalone” project, which goes against previous plans to incorporate it into a new Aberdeen FC ground.
The high street is not dead, says John Lewis
John Lewis has said warnings about the death of the high street are “overstated”, as it hailed an 8% rise in customer numbers in-store.
The retail giant said in a report on Monday that the increase in shoppers to its stores over the past year came as online transactions plummeted.
New figures found that online transactions made up 57% of the retailer’s sales over the past year, down from 81% at the height of the pandemic.
Kathleen Mitchell, the commercial director at John Lewis, wrote in the firm’s latest ‘How We Shop, Live and Look’ report that: “People want to come back to shops, especially on Saturdays. Evening shopping has been replaced by weekend shopping.”
More empty Union Street offices to be converted into flats
Plans to turn more disused Union Street offices into flats have been given the green light.
Empty premises above the Amarone restaurant and Sk:n cosmetic treatment clinic will be converted into 11 apartments.
Developer Inspired City Living cited a “lack of appetite” for office space as cause for the change at Victoria House, 259-263 Union Street.
But plans could yet change again, with designs for students flat in the same building also being considered.
Jeremy Hunt says UK must break out of tax rise 'vicious circle'
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said he wants to stop the "vicious circle of ever-rising taxes" by reforming public services and the benefits system.
His comments come on the eve of the Conservative Party conference, as some Tories are set to call for tax cuts.
More than 30 MPs, including Liz Truss and Dame Priti Patel, have ruled out voting for any plans that result in higher overall taxes.
But Mr Hunt told the Times he could not talk about tax cuts in the short term.
House prices fall for eighth month in a row
House prices dropped for the eighth month in a row as mortgage approvals plummeted.
Homeowners saw the value of their bricks and mortar drop by 5.3% in the year to September, according to the Nationwide house price index.
It continues a series of annual falls that began in February, although the rate of decline was the same as reported in August.
The survey found that the value of a typical house fell to £257,808, compared to £259,153 the month earlier.
Peak ScotRail fares scrapped as six-month trial begins
Peak-time rail fares have been scrapped on ScotRail services from Monday as part of a six-month pilot scheme.
The cost of a rush hour ticket between Glasgow and Edinburgh has almost halved in an initiative aimed at boosting rail travel.
ScotRail has warned customers that trains may be busier than usual during the Scottish Government-funded pilot.