
High street round-up: Dundee pub takeover & Perth cafe shuts
The Courier has rounded up the latest from pubs, restaurants, shops and hotels across the region in one handy place.
Our regular updates will bring you up to speed with what's going on in your local high streets and shopping centres.
Thomas Justice, 26, is the new landlord at Caw's Bar on Panmure Street.
After some refurbishment at the venue, which dates from the 19th century, Thomas and his staff started pulling pints last week.
Tailend Dundee on Nethergate, run by Darren and Jess Spink, closed on April 27.
The restaurant and takeaway is being taken on by Mother Hubbard's, which already runs fish and chip shops in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The Joinery Coffee Shop in Meigle, Perthshire, has been put on the market.
Ann Durston, 52, who has owned and managed the coffee shop since 2016, says she is selling the business due to family circumstances and to enjoy her retirement.
Fireaway Pizza opened in the former TSB bank on Albert Street in Stobswell on Tuesday.
To celebrate, the store gave away 500 free Margherita pizzas during opening week.
Johnnie Orange Cafe and Living Store, on St Paul's Square, closed on Saturday.
Johnnie Yuen and his wife, Sun Sun Lau, both 47, have thanked their loyal customers in Perth and say the shop will close for at least six months.
Pret A Manger has confirmed its new Broughty Ferry store will open this summer.
The shop will have 'an innovative design' and is thought to be one of the biggest in the UK, with seating for 78 customers.
The big names moving into Arbroath's new £16 million retail park have been confirmed.
Home Bargains, Aldi, MKM Builders Merchant, Costa and Greggs will all move into the retail park off Dundee Road.
Plans for a £16 million development on the outskirts of St Andrews have been lodged with Fife Council.
The proposal by Aberdeen-based West Coast Estates includes shops and restaurants.
Morrisons has hit out at Sainsbury's plans to open a new supermarket in the former Glenrothes Homebase store.
The trivial retailer has raised concerns the Sainsbury's store will 'weaken' Glenrothes town centre.
A new tenant has already been found for the soon-to-be vacant shop currently housing Regatta in Dundee's Overgate.
Luxury sweet firm Hotel Chocolat is advertising for staff and The Courier understands it will move into the unit.
Elsewhere in the Overgate, Clarks has opened a new shoe shop nearly two years after leaving its Murraygate unit.
The historic British brand has taken a unit previously occupied by Burger King in the centre.
A new M&S Foodhall is set to open at Ninewells Hospital this summer.
WH Smith is relocating to a new unit – a former hair salon – to make way for M&S.
Crieff Hydro has spent more than £5 million refurbishing its eating and drinking areas as it seeks to win more business from locals.
The investment is the largest in the history of the family business.
The Golden Lion hotel in Stirling has been acquired by an experienced hotelier who wants to 'raise standards and expectations'.
New owner Gary Atkinson purchased the hotel, bar and restaurant from Flagship Hotels.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
a few seconds ago
- The Independent
More businesses forced to close in July as cost pressures mount
The number of companies going bust across England and Wales remained elevated last month, new data shows, as pressures intensify for firms grappling with higher costs. Official data from the Insolvency Service showed there were 2,081 company insolvencies in July, edging up by 1% compared with June. The number of compulsory liquidations was slightly higher than in June and up 11% compared with the same month in 2024. Compulsory liquidations happen when a company is forced to close when it cannot pay money owed to creditors. July's figure was also a quarter higher than the monthly average across 2024, the data showed. The level of firms facing insolvency has remained elevated since reaching a 30-year annual high in 2023. Construction firms continue to come under the most pressure, with 3,984 insolvencies in the 12 months to July – making up 17% of all cases. This is followed by wholesale and retailers, who made up 16% of all company insolvencies. Experts said firms are being challenged by 'relentless uncertainty' in the global economic environment. Simon Edel, UK turnaround and restructuring strategy partner at EY-Parthenon, said: 'Many businesses are also contending with higher costs including recent increases to employer national insurance contributions and the national living wage. 'With interest rates still relatively high – alongside significant working capital demands and a constrained credit environment – liquidity pressures are intensifying for more UK companies. 'This is causing more businesses and stakeholders to call time.' Freddy Khalaschi, business recovery partner at Menzies, said: 'The summer heat is bearing down on British businesses. 'Thames Water's reserves are drying up, Claire's has fallen into administration, River Island narrowly avoided the same fate after the court agreed a restructuring plan, and more than 1,000 pubs and restaurants have gone under since the last Budget. 'Consumer confidence remains fragile, house prices are falling and falling job vacancies suggest that businesses are cutting back, with hiring costs rising and with AI and automation starting to make their presence felt.'


Daily Mail
a minute ago
- Daily Mail
SMALL CAP IDEA: Bitcoin treasury has moved from investment backwaters to the mainstream
'The dam has broken. Now we have to wait for the river level to settle.' Malcolm Palle, chairman of Coinsilium, is describing what has been a frenetic four months in Bitcoin treasury, a new sector that has moved from the investment backwaters to the mainstream in that time. In the process, it has attracted tens of millions of pounds during one of the longest-lived funding droughts in memory for would-be growth companies. His comment is notable. Palle is a veteran of cryptocurrency, blockchain and Web3, and at the start of 2025, could not have imagined the bonanza we have just witnessed. The Smarter Web Company has been at the vanguard, and at one point was valued at over £1billion. London BTC, Satsuma Technologies and Vaultz have been among the first movers. Coinsilium has made a splash too, raising £17million in new funds, which it is actively investing in Bitcoin. Before we go further, it is worth outlining the concept of Bitcoin treasury, particularly for those new to the sector. Put simply, a company holds traditional operating assets, but instead of keeping surplus cash on deposit or in short-term interest-bearing instruments, it invests in Bitcoin. This allows it to benefit from the value gains seen in recent months as the cryptocurrency has edged towards an all-time high. The drivers of this upward momentum include voracious demand from exchange-traded funds and retail investors, fuelled by distrust of fiat currencies susceptible to government and central bank manipulation. Bitcoin also serves as an inflation hedge, thanks to its fixed supply of 21 million units. Forecasts differ, but analysts see the price, currently around $120,000, climbing to $200,000 next year. Ark Invest's Cathie Wood, the veteran investor and crypto bull, believes it could reach $1 million within five years. 'I don't disagree with the $200,000 number. It might even be conservative,' says Palle. 'But I don't see it being a linear ride. I can see some volatility. We could get to $200,000 and drop back quite markedly.' The US has set the pace for Bitcoin treasury, with companies such as Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), Mara Holdings and Twenty One Capital holding tens of billions of dollars of crypto. Elon Musk's Tesla is also heavily invested. US President Donald Trump's Genuis Act, while focused on stablecoin oversight, is likely to benefit the wider cryptocurrency market. By providing regulatory clarity and drawing in institutional players, it could bolster Bitcoin's long-term prospects and strengthen its role in global finance, while offering a lift to other digital assets with defined use cases. Here in the UK, Keir Starmer's Labour administration does not appear to have the same relish to embrace crypto that Rishi Sunak's Tory government displayed. The regulatory approach seems to ignore the issue and hope it goes away. Nevertheless, there is demand from the Great British investing public. And for the less crypto-savvy, unfamiliar with the new trading platforms and the process of opening wallets, direct, traditional equity investment makes sense. Hence the rise of SWC and, of course, Coinsilium. Palle's company has created Forza! - a Gibraltar-based wholly owned subsidiary focused on Bitcoin treasury management, which to date has amassed 181.9596 Bitcoin. At current prices, that is worth just shy of $22 million. Value accretion has occurred in months rather than years in a business area best described as 'nascent'. The ability to seize the opportunity so quickly stems from the fact that Coinsilium, under Palle and his CEO Eddy Travia, has played a pioneering role in the sector for a decade. That accords them veteran status. They have co-opted the help of James Van Straten, a senior analyst at CoinDesk and one of the UK's best-known crypto-commentators. He shares his expertise as a member of Coinsilium's advisory board. Before moving so decisively into treasury, Coinsilium's stock-in-trade was helping nurture blockchain innovation, working with early-stage ventures and contributing to the evolution of decentralised technologies and digital finance. Indeed, its current market capitalisation probably ascribes close to zero worth to its portfolio investments, which are quickly maturing and may provide an unexpected value kicker. Watch this space. Looking ahead, Palle said Coinsilium may look to use its 'paper' to make accretive acquisitions that will help it generate more Bitcoin. I point out that some of the company's contemporaries have also begun funding growth through Bitcoin-denominated loans. On this, Palle is tight-lipped. But he makes this observation: 'We know there are a lot of opportunities. But we want the waters to calm and clear before doing what is right for us.'


Sky News
a minute ago
- Sky News
CurrentBody owner picks O'Donnell as chair ahead of London float
The owner of CurrentBody, a brand of beauty technology used by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Serena Williams, has picked a director of On The Beach and The Gym Group to spearhead an autumn flotation in London. Sky News has learnt that Elaine O'Donnell, a former EY partner and chartered accountant, has been appointed non-executive chair of The Beauty Tech Group. Ms O'Donnell's appointment comes as the Manchester-based company - which comprises the CurrentBody, ZIIP Beauty and Tria Laser brands - steps up preparations for a stock market listing which could value it at about £350m. Previously chair of Games Workshop, Ms O'Donnell is expected to oversee the appointment of other non-executive directors ahead of an initial public offering (IPO). The timing of an attempt to go public will be dependent upon market conditions, according to people close to the company. Sky News revealed earlier this year that The Beauty Tech Group had hired bankers at Berenberg to work on the plans. Run by co-founder and chief executive Laurence Newman, The Beauty Tesch Group intends to list on the main London market. The company is owned by its management team - led by Mr Newman but also including co-founder and chief technology officer Andrew Showman and finance chief Sam Glynn - and a group of high-net-worth individuals. It describes itself as a global industry leader in home-use beauty technology, and is focused on products which use LED, radio frequency, microcurrent and laser treatments. A successful stock market debut would represent a positive development for the London Stock Exchange during a period when searching questions are being posed about its attractiveness as a listing destination. Several companies have announced plans to shift their primary listings across the Atlantic, the latest of which was payments company Wise. The Beauty Tech Group saw a substantial increase in revenue last year, with sales passing the £100m mark for the first time, up from £80m in 2023. Its revenues comprise just under a quarter from the UK and 77% internationally. Since the beginning of this year, it has been exclusively focused on own-brand sales. The beauty technology market is projected to grow from £2.7bn in global sales in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate of up to 17% until 2026, according to a report by the professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. In a statement issued to Sky News earlier this year, Mr Newman said: "2024 was another significant year financially and strategically for the Group. "We delivered revenue of over £100m and successfully acquired Tria Laser while also completing the integration of ZIIP Beauty. "These acquisitions have diversified and increased the Group's product offering across the rapidly growing beauty tech market and, in line with our strategic ambitions, the Group is now focused exclusively on own-brand products. "I am pleased that the Group's strong performance through 2024 has continued into January and I am confident that 2025 will be another record year. "As increasing international demand and the Group's operational infrastructure provide foundations for the next stage of its global growth, the Group is considering its strategic options, which includes a London IPO later this year." The Beauty Tech Group counts Harrods among its retail partners, while its products are also sold on more than 20 direct-to-consumer websites around the world. It recently partnered with Manchester University's dermatology department to research opportunities for advanced beauty technologies relevant to areas of consumer demand, such as hair regrowth and anti-ageing.