Latest news with #Edinburgh-headquartered
Scotsman
a day ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Edinburgh store staff secure a stake in business
Staff at a specialist Edinburgh bathroom supplies business have been handed a greater stake in its future. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Ceiling2Floor is the latest brand in Scotland to become employee-owned, opening new opportunities for the three-strong team, based at Sighthill Industrial Estate, to share in its success by being its part-owners. It comes after founders Brian and Bill Crombie agreed a deal with staff to transition Wetrooms International Group, which owns the trade store chain, to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Edinburgh regional manager Mark Holmes welcomed the news and said: 'Our transition to an EOT is a really positive step. Edinburgh Ceiling2Floor team members Ricky Cassidy (sales assistant / driver), left, and assistant manager Thomas Alston. The store has entered a new era as part of an employee-owned firm. 'While it's business as usual for us and our customers, the change internally gives our management team greater involvement in the business operations, which is really exciting. I'm looking forward to this new chapter.' The Crombie brothers have retained a 26% share of the business as part of the deal and will continue to play key roles in its development, with the firm seeking opportunities to expand across the region and throughout Scotland. Brian said: 'This was the logical step for us to take. Most of our staff have been with us for a long time and we've a great management team. Becoming an EOT is an investment in them, allowing everyone to share further in the future success of the business.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Bill added: 'The business is in a real period of growth with huge potential to expand significantly over the next five years. We have the right team in place to achieve that.' Wetrooms International has been guided through the transition to employee ownership by Ownership Associates, with assistance from Reference Point Advisory and legal advice from Edinburgh-headquartered Lindsays. Ownership Associates Director Carole Leslie said: 'It's fantastic to see a growing business such as Wetrooms International realise the positive impact of employee ownership, not least allowing the team who have helped deliver its success so far to retain control of its future and share the benefits.' Employee ownership unlocks a capital gains tax exemption for shareholders who sell their shares to an EOT and the ability to reward employees annually with qualifying bonuses of up to £3,600 per year per employee, which can be paid free of income tax. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Nicholas Howie, a Partner in the Corporate Law team at Lindsays, said: 'Brian and Bill's decision to transition to an EOT allows them to continue to play a key role in the future of the business while putting a legal and financial framework in place that creates a long-term legacy for their team. It's the ideal fit for them.' Trustees for the new structure have been appointed from the Celing2Floors team and wider Wetrooms International Group nationally.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wordsmith AI Raises $25M Series A from Index Ventures to Deploy Fleets of Legal AI Agents and Power the Rise of Legal Engineers
Wordsmith empowers GCs and in-house teams with infrastructure that deploys agents bringing legal intelligence across organisations AI is reshaping the legal profession and Wordsmith is taking the lead in training a new generation of legal engineers Edinburgh-headquartered Wordsmith set to open London and New York offices later this year to track customer growth Wordsmith was founded by lawyer turned engineer Ross McNairn in 2024, McNairn previously helped to scale three tech unicorns EDINBURGH, Scotland, June 03, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wordsmith AI has secured a $25m series A led by Index Ventures to scale its AI infrastructure that deploys legal agents across organisations to guide them to outcomes faster. With AI transforming the legal profession and giving rise to entirely new roles - like the 'legal engineer' - Wordsmith is leading the charge, embedding fleets of AI agents into corporations and training teams to wield them. Ross McNairn, CEO and Co-founder of Wordsmith, says: "For the first time, AI infrastructure can be embedded across companies, with fleets of agents that you can train to support every corporate function - cutting deal cycles, answering queries, and processing complex workflows. Our Legal Enablement Platform is like air traffic control for GCs and in-house teams, helping them guide teams to the right decisions faster." With a customer base that includes Trustpilot, Deliveroo, Multiverse, Docplanner, and hundreds of other in-house teams, Wordsmith is recording strong revenue growth across the UK and US, with the company set to open offices in both London and New York later this year. Explaining the strong customer traction, Ross McNairn adds: "We are helping GCs embed their legal intelligence across the business. Gone are the days of legal being seen as a blocker, it is now a revenue accelerator." Huge change and opportunity for legal jobs Wordsmith's technology is not only transforming how legal teams operate, but also helping to shape a new generation of legal professionals. As AI agents become embedded across corporate functions, the company is seeing the emergence of a new role within legal departments: the legal engineer. Traditionally handled by legal operations managers, this evolving function focuses on training, deploying, and supporting AI agents, requiring an entirely new skill set. To support this shift, Wordsmith invests significantly in training and upskilling legal professionals, enabling them to harness the full potential of its platform. This marks a broader generational shift in the legal labour market, as professionals adapt to leverage AI and take on more strategic, high-impact roles. Commenting on this shift, Ross McNairn says: "We're witnessing the birth of an entirely new role in legal: the legal engineer. These are the people training, deploying, and managing fleets of AI agents. We're helping to re-skill an entire generation to do it." Wordsmith AI was founded by lawyer turned engineer Ross McNairn in 2024. McNairn had previously helped to scale three tech unicorns, as Chief Product and Technology Officer at TravelPerk, VP of Product at letgo, and Head of Product at Skyscanner. Hannah Seal, Partner, Index Ventures, said: "AI is revolutionising the legal profession, and Wordsmith is leading that charge. They're not just building a co-pilot, they're creating the foundational infrastructure for how entire organisations interact with legal. This is about reshaping enterprise operations, not just supporting legal teams. We're excited to back Ross and the Wordsmith team as they define a new category at the intersection of law, technology and AI." Notes: Gartner predicts the global legal technology market will reach $50 billion by 2027 as a result of GenAI: For more information and to book a demo: View source version on Contacts Media contact:Nick Freernick@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Scotsman
30-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Homes giant to build 676 new family houses ‘within easy reach' of Edinburgh
'By investing in areas where people genuinely want to live, we're striving to shape integrated neighbourhoods that our buyers will be proud to call home for generations to come' – Gary Heaney, Miller Homes Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Hundreds of new homes are set to be built 'within easy reach of Edinburgh' after a quartet of sites changed hands. Housebuilder Miller Homes said it had acquired land at multiple locations, totalling some 91 acres. The move will bring 676 'much-needed' new homes to popular towns and communities within commuting distance of the capital, the firm added. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Edinburgh-headquartered Miller will now begin work on new developments at: East Calder Oaks, East Calder; West Craigs Mews, Edinburgh; Miller Homes at Shawfair, Midlothian; and Avonside Wisp, Whitecross. These developments follow the successful launch of Dalhousie Gate in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian last year, which marked the first in the series of 'strategic' land acquisitions by the group. Miller Homes' regional operations director Gary Heaney, left, with regional land director David Morgan, right. Picture: Stewart Attwood Photography Bosses said the four new developments will feature homes in a range of styles and sizes, 'meeting the needs of people moving to already vibrant communities or local people who are looking to either up or downsize'. Gary Heaney, regional operations director at Miller Homes, said: 'The acquisition of these four sites marks a significant step in our long-term commitment to creating sustainable, thriving communities across the east of Scotland. By investing in areas where people genuinely want to live, we're striving to shape integrated neighbourhoods that our buyers will be proud to call home for generations to come. 'With continued strong demand for high-quality new homes in and around Edinburgh, we're looking forward to playing a part in the next chapter of these already thriving local communities.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The first homes at Miller Homes at Shawfair will be ready by this October, followed by East Calder Oaks and West Craigs Mews in February 2026 and Avonside Wisp in March 2026. The East Calder Oaks development will feature 67 four and five-bedroom detached properties, plus 23 'affordable' homes. West Craigs Mews will comprise 92 homes, including two and three-bedroom terraced, three and four-bedroom townhouses, and four and five-bedroom detached homes, as well as 49 affordable homes. The Shawfair development will feature 176 two and three-bedroom terraced, semi-detached and detached properties and four and five-bedroom detached homes, plus 44 affordable options. Avonside Wisp in Whitecross, Falkirk will comprise 169 three, four and five-bedrooms styles, and 56 affordable homes. The housebuilder said it would be delivering energy efficient homes while 'working considerately with the natural environment and local communities'. The four new developments are expected to support more than 2,300 jobs, according to the Home Builders Federation housing calculator, Miller added. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The firm, which was founded in 1934, operates UK-wide across three divisions - Scotland, North, Midlands & South. It is active on a string of projects north of the Border. Last summer, it emerged that it was bringing 81 new homes to West Dunbartonshire after securing a prominent 13-acre plot.
Scotsman
30-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Scottish legal firm with 350 staff unveils change at top after 14 years
'We are clear in our identity as an independent Scottish firm, working with Scottish families and businesses' – Andrew Diamond Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Lindsays, the Scottish legal firm with some 350 staff and partners, is set for change at the top after appointing a new managing partner. Andrew Diamond, currently a partner and the firm's head of residential property, will take up the role from the beginning of October. He will succeed Alasdair Cummings, who is stepping aside after 14 years in the position - a period during which the firm has completed six merger tie-ups and seen annual turnover grow from £9 million to almost £28m. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A handover process is already underway, following which Cummings will remain a partner. Andrew Diamond, left, who will succeed Alasdair Cummings, right, as managing partner of Scottish legal firm Lindsays. Picture: Ryan McGoverne / Lindsays Edinburgh-headquartered Lindsays has 53 partners along with 300 other solicitors and staff working from its offices in Crieff, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Perth. Diamond, who joined Lindsays through its merger with MacLachlan and MacKenzie in 2012, said the firm would continue its growth organically, as well as through acquisitions and strategic hires. 'I am very much the continuity candidate,' he said. 'And, while in politics that may not always be viewed favourably, it is a good thing for Lindsays. It's business as usual here. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We are clear in our identity as an independent Scottish firm, working with Scottish families and businesses. There will be no change to that. We will continue with steady, strategic growth on the same path as we have followed. 'Our culture at Lindsays is our greatest asset. Our people matter. We have the soul of a smaller firm but with all the benefits of scale. That is down to Alasdair's leadership, for which we are all grateful. I have very large shoes to fill.' Cummings' journey at Lindsays has seen him rise from trainee to managing partner, beginning in 1986, with only a five-year gap during which he worked for a London legal practice before returning to Lindsays in Edinburgh in 1993 to help grow its corporate and commercial law services. He said: 'Lindsays means so much to me. To be managing partner of this firm, with its tremendous team, has been the undoubted highlight of my career. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The past 14 years have been a successful and exciting journey. Together, we have achieved good growth, a wider geographic footprint and become a full-service firm, of which I am incredibly proud. The time, however, feels right for a new voice to lead Lindsays into the next stage of that journey. 'My current three-year term as managing partner was due to end next March and I was always clear that I would not be seeking another. With that in mind, making a change now feels like sensible succession planning. Andrew is a very worthy successor and I look forward to supporting him in any way I can.'
Scotsman
26-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Edinburgh firm's ‘vodka pouches' hit shelves at more than 175 Scottish convenience stores
'Young Spirits is a fantastic example of a company using its industry knowledge to create something fresh and exciting for the market' Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... An Edinburgh-based spirits bottling and branding business is seeing its diversification into the multi-million-pound 'ready to drink' market take a significant step forward. Young Spirits, founded in 2019 by John Ferguson and Alex Harrison, has undergone a major programme of growth in the last five years. It now employs a 40-plus team and has expanded its remit, developing its own portfolio of products and tapping into the growing trend for convenience drinks. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The firm's most recent endeavour, Nips & Sips, a range of single-serve vodka pouches, saw off competition from more established brands to win an exclusive listing with convenience retailer Scotmid, across an estate of more than 175 stores. Scotmid's Steven Addison with Young Spirits' co-founder Alex Harrison. The idea for the new range came from the Young Spirits founders, who are said to have spotted a gap in the market for an innovative, ready-to-drink spirits product that was more convenient than the traditional bottle or can format. Young Spirits also takes a sustainable approach to its operations and has established a carbon neutral bottling site as well as ensuring its vodka pouches are fully recyclable. Co-founder Ferguson said: 'Young Spirits was founded as a modern, sustainable partner to companies in the spirits sector, offering next level support for a wide range of new product development and bottling projects. Alongside that, we are using our expertise to develop our own portfolio of spirits brands, to bring innovation and great products to today's consumers. Nips & Sips is a perfect example.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Steven Addison, local sourcing manager at Edinburgh-headquartered Scotmid, added: 'Nips & Sips stood out in our Scottish Favourites competition for its fun approach to convenience and innovation. The competition is all about championing Scotland's most exciting or up-and-coming food and drink brands, helping them take the next critical step in their journey.
