Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
Pilates plans for empty Aberdeen shop as instructor vows to ‘help rejuvenate city centre’
A shop unit in Aberdeen city centre that has been empty for years could finally be brought back to life as a pilates studio.
Physiotherapy assistant Emily Robbie has lodged plans with Aberdeen City Council to transform the site on Chapel Street.
The instructor has been running pilates classes for nearly two years after discovering the exercise during lockdown.
Read the full story in the P&J.
Vinyl makes a comeback at WH Smith after 30 years
Rifling through the latest vinyls at WH Smith was a rite of passage for many a British teenager until the high street shop discontinued them in the Nineties, convinced that CDs were the future.
Now vinyls are making a comeback. After a surge in popularity, and releases from artists such as Taylor Swift, WH Smith has announced that it is stocking LPs again.
According to data from the British Phonographic Industry, vinyl sales jumped 11.7% to nearly six million last year, the highest annual level since 1990. Sales were boosted by releases such as Swift’s album 1989 (Taylor’s Version) in October last year, which has sold more than 84,700 copies.
Faulty concrete homeowners refuse purchase scheme
Dozens of Aberdeen residents whose homes are affected by potentially dangerous concrete are refusing to take part in a voluntary purchase scheme until they receive a guarantee that repair costs will not be deducted.
Nearly 140 private owners in the Torry area of the city live in homes where reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) has been discovered.
Aberdeen City Council is offering the market value of the homes and home loss payments of up to £15,000 – but minus the cost of repairing the Raac roof panels.
Microsoft introduces ‘AI employees’ that can handle client queries
Microsoft is introducing autonomous artificial intelligence agents, or virtual employees, that can perform tasks such as handling client queries and identifying sales leads, as the tech sector strives to show investors that the AI boom can produce indispensable products.
The US tech company is giving customers the ability to build their own AI agents as well as releasing 10 off-the-shelf bots that can carry out a range of roles including supply chain management and customer service.