Latest news with #RonMacEachran
The Herald Scotland
11-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
UK's biggest hotel brand plans new landmark city destination
How the site will be utilised. (Image: LMA Architects) Whitbread is to create a 195-room Premier Inn hotel in the centre of the Scottish capital by converting an office block. Plans have been lodged for the Capital House Premier Inn which is expected to generate an additional £8.1 million per year in visitor expenditure through the external spending of more than 56,000 guests. Read the full story here Future hope amid Isle of Harris Scotch whisky distillery redundancies There is fresh hope for the future. (Image: Getty Images) The executive chairman of an island Scotch whisky distillery which is cutting jobs to "safeguard the future' of the business has voiced hopes that the workforce can eventually grow again. Isle of Harris Distillery, which produces The Hearach single malt Scotch whisky and Isle of Harris gin, last week announced plans for redundancies among its workforce of 45 as it cuts production and moves from two shifts to one shift a day. Speaking to The Herald in the wake of the job cuts announcement, executive chairman and chief financial officer Ron MacEachran said: 'At this point, we are doing this very regrettably but very much with the intent that, when circumstances change, the business will again be able to move forward and build on the foundations that have been created.' Asked if the workforce could rise again in future, Mr MacEachran replied: 'It is too early to say but one would hope that if the business was back on a growth journey that would mean more employment.' Read Ian McConnell's exclusive story here BUSINESS INSIGHT 📈 Wetherspoon basks in the spring sunshine The City responded positively. (Image: PA) JD Wetherspoon declared today that its pubs have capitalised on the spring sunshine while reiterating the impact of fresh hikes in labour costs on the bottom line. The hospitality giant, which has around 800 pubs across the UK, said like-for-like sales had increased by 5.6% in the 13 weeks to April 27 and 5.1% in the year-to-date. Total sales for the year to date were up by 5% in the quarter and by 4.2% in the year-to-date, the company said. While sales have been increasing, costs have also been rising at Wetherspoon, which reiterated that the rise in employer national insurance contributions and national living wage will add around £1.2 million per week to its wage bill. Read Scott Wright's analysis here AROUND THE GREENS ⛳ American Golf drives forward with increasing diversity This article appears as part of Kristy Dorsey's Around the Greens series Inside one of the stores. (Image: American Golf) Despite its name, American Golf was founded in the UK in 1978 by brothers Robert and Howard Bilton, who were inspired by sports shops they had visited while in the US. Following a succession of ownership changes before going into administration in 2018, the business is now owned by International Leisure Group with financial backing from Leeds-based private equity group Endless. The sport's post-Covid boom encouraged American Golf to overstretch its resources, with the business recording a loss in 2023. A subsequent restructuring has left the UK's largest golf retailer "well-placed" for growth according to chief executive Nigel Oddy, who was brought in by Endless in April 2023. The Herald Scottish Golf Survey 2025 will close to submissions on today, Sunday May 11, but until then every club and course in the country is invited to submit their views. If your club or organisation has not already received an invitation to take part, please contact
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Distillery layoffs send shudders across remote Scottish island
When Scotland's windswept Isle of Harris welcomed its first commercial distillery a decade ago, it was about more than just whisky. Since 2015 the Harris Distillery has enabled dozens of young locals to stay and work on the sparsely inhabited island off the west coast of Scotland, which has endured years of population decline as islanders move away in search of job opportunities on the mainland. But the announcement of layoffs in recent weeks has sparked fears of a new exodus of more young residents, leaving the island's tight-knit community crestfallen. The distillery stands on the shore of the small Tarbert harbour and has become a source of pride in Harris, producing award-winning Scotch whisky and gin sold around the world. "I've quite often said the world didn't need another whisky, but the island did," said Shona Macleod, who was among the site's first employees when it opened. She said "the whole purpose of the distillery was to create long-term employment and opportunities for people" at a time when Harris's population had fallen by around half in 50 years, as young people left to find work. There are now around 1,800 inhabitants on the island in the Outer Hebrides, known for its sweeping beaches and turquoise waters. - 'Desperately sad' - When AFP visited the distillery, several of its 50 or so employees -- whose average age is 32 -- were overcome with emotion following the announcement of job cuts at the end of April. "It's desperately sad," said the distillery's financial director Ron MacEachran, with tears in his eyes. He is from the nearby Isle of Scalpay, and remembers when there was "a thriving community" in this area decades ago with a prosperous port. "We set out from the very outset to do something very positive for the island," he said. "This was not something that we contemplated," he added. "Having to do it is deeply painful, because we understand the impact it has on the individuals." But he said the whisky industry was facing serious problems, with overproduction, changes in consumer habits and global volatility. "We've deferred the decision for a staff restructuring as long as possible," he said. "But we had to take it in order to allow the business more scope to navigate through what looks to be a continuing challenge." Ten percent tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump -- whose mother Mary Anne MacLeod Trump was born and raised on the neighbouring Isle of Lewis -- were one of several factors creating "uncertainty", he said. The distillery did not say how many workers would be affected by the cuts, but confirmed staff would be offered voluntary redundancies, followed by compulsory redundancies if targets are not met. It is also not clear what the news means for the company or its star whisky "Hearach", whose name refers to people from Harris in Scottish Gaelic, or its gin flavoured with local sugar kelp which is served in trendy London bars. But the uncertainty ushered in by the announcement has come as a blow to young people who stayed on the island after finding work at the distillery. Several said jobs at the site had helped them feel "settled" at home in Harris. Donald MacRae, 27, was planning to leave the island to find work as a sports teacher following the Covid pandemic, before he saw the distillery was recruiting staff. "I was about to move to the mainland," he said. Now, he has bought a house on Harris and his girlfriend works at the distillery too. "I'm settled and happy here," he said. Macleod, 51, worried "young people might have to leave the island again" in search of work. But MacEachran said he wanted to the distillery to pull through and said he remained hopeful about its future. "We have something very precious here," he said. ctx/alm/lcm/jkb/srg
France 24
07-05-2025
- Business
- France 24
Distillery layoffs send shudders across remote Scottish island
Since 2015 the Harris Distillery has enabled dozens of young locals to stay and work on the sparsely inhabited island off the west coast of Scotland, which has endured years of population decline as islanders move away in search of job opportunities on the mainland. But the announcement of layoffs in recent weeks has sparked fears of a new exodus of more young residents, leaving the island's tight-knit community crestfallen. The distillery stands on the shore of the small Tarbert harbour and has become a source of pride in Harris, producing award-winning Scotch whisky and gin sold around the world. "I've quite often said the world didn't need another whisky, but the island did," said Shona Macleod, who was among the site's first employees when it opened. She said "the whole purpose of the distillery was to create long-term employment and opportunities for people" at a time when Harris's population had fallen by around half in 50 years, as young people left to find work. There are now around 1,800 inhabitants on the island in the Outer Hebrides, known for its sweeping beaches and turquoise waters. 'Desperately sad' When AFP visited the distillery, several of its 50 or so employees -- whose average age is 32 -- were overcome with emotion following the announcement of job cuts at the end of April. "It's desperately sad," said the distillery's financial director Ron MacEachran, with tears in his eyes. He is from the nearby Isle of Scalpay, and remembers when there was "a thriving community" in this area decades ago with a prosperous port. "We set out from the very outset to do something very positive for the island," he said. "This was not something that we contemplated," he added. "Having to do it is deeply painful, because we understand the impact it has on the individuals." But he said the whisky industry was facing serious problems, with overproduction, changes in consumer habits and global volatility. "We've deferred the decision for a staff restructuring as long as possible," he said. "But we had to take it in order to allow the business more scope to navigate through what looks to be a continuing challenge." Ten percent tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump -- whose mother Mary Anne MacLeod Trump was born and raised on the neighbouring Isle of Lewis -- were one of several factors creating "uncertainty", he said. The distillery did not say how many workers would be affected by the cuts, but confirmed staff would be offered voluntary redundancies, followed by compulsory redundancies if targets are not met. It is also not clear what the news means for the company or its star whisky "Hearach", whose name refers to people from Harris in Scottish Gaelic, or its gin flavoured with local sugar kelp which is served in trendy London bars. But the uncertainty ushered in by the announcement has come as a blow to young people who stayed on the island after finding work at the distillery. Several said jobs at the site had helped them feel "settled" at home in Harris. Donald MacRae, 27, was planning to leave the island to find work as a sports teacher following the Covid pandemic, before he saw the distillery was recruiting staff. "I was about to move to the mainland," he said. Now, he has bought a house on Harris and his girlfriend works at the distillery too. "I'm settled and happy here," he said. Macleod, 51, worried "young people might have to leave the island again" in search of work. But MacEachran said he wanted to the distillery to pull through and said he remained hopeful about its future. "We have something very precious here," he said. © 2025 AFP
Int'l Business Times
07-05-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Distillery Layoffs Send Shudders Across Remote Scottish Island
When Scotland's windswept Isle of Harris welcomed its first commercial distillery a decade ago, it was about more than just whisky. Since 2015 the Harris Distillery has enabled dozens of young locals to stay and work on the sparsely inhabited island off the west coast of Scotland, which has endured years of population decline as islanders move away in search of job opportunities on the mainland. But the announcement of layoffs in recent weeks has sparked fears of a new exodus of more young residents, leaving the island's tight-knit community crestfallen. The distillery stands on the shore of the small Tarbert harbour and has become a source of pride in Harris, producing award-winning Scotch whisky and gin sold around the world. "I've quite often said the world didn't need another whisky, but the island did," said Shona Macleod, who was among the site's first employees when it opened. She said "the whole purpose of the distillery was to create long-term employment and opportunities for people" at a time when Harris's population had fallen by around half in 50 years, as young people left to find work. There are now around 1,800 inhabitants on the island in the Outer Hebrides, known for its sweeping beaches and turquoise waters. When AFP visited the distillery, several of its 50 or so employees -- whose average age is 32 -- were overcome with emotion following the announcement of job cuts at the end of April. "It's desperately sad," said the distillery's financial director Ron MacEachran, with tears in his eyes. He is from the nearby Isle of Scalpay, and remembers when there was "a thriving community" in this area decades ago with a prosperous port. "We set out from the very outset to do something very positive for the island," he said. "This was not something that we contemplated," he added. "Having to do it is deeply painful, because we understand the impact it has on the individuals." But he said the whisky industry was facing serious problems, with overproduction, changes in consumer habits and global volatility. "We've deferred the decision for a staff restructuring as long as possible," he said. "But we had to take it in order to allow the business more scope to navigate through what looks to be a continuing challenge." Ten percent tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump -- whose mother Mary Anne MacLeod Trump was born and raised on the neighbouring Isle of Lewis -- were one of several factors creating "uncertainty", he said. The distillery did not say how many workers would be affected by the cuts, but confirmed staff would be offered voluntary redundancies, followed by compulsory redundancies if targets are not met. It is also not clear what the news means for the company or its star whisky "Hearach", whose name refers to people from Harris in Scottish Gaelic, or its gin flavoured with local sugar kelp which is served in trendy London bars. But the uncertainty ushered in by the announcement has come as a blow to young people who stayed on the island after finding work at the distillery. Several said jobs at the site had helped them feel "settled" at home in Harris. Donald MacRae, 27, was planning to leave the island to find work as a sports teacher following the Covid pandemic, before he saw the distillery was recruiting staff. "I was about to move to the mainland," he said. Now, he has bought a house on Harris and his girlfriend works at the distillery too. "I'm settled and happy here," he said. Macleod, 51, worried "young people might have to leave the island again" in search of work. But MacEachran said he wanted to the distillery to pull through and said he remained hopeful about its future. "We have something very precious here," he said. The remote Isle of Harris off the coast of Scotland has only 1,800 residents AFP Distiller Donald MacLeod, 27, rolls a barrel of whisky in the warehouse on the island where he has bought a house and hopes to stay AFP Executive Chairman of the Isle of Harris Distillery Ron MacEachran says the restructuring decision is 'desperately sad' and prompted in part by new US tariffs AFP Lewis Mackenzie harvests sugar kelp seaweed off Bayble Beach on the Isle of Lewis, that will be used to make gin sold in trendy London bars hundreds of miles away AFP
