Latest news with #Scotch
Glasgow Times
2 minutes ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Trump criticised ‘terrible first minister' Sturgeon on flight back to US
He made the comments on Air Force One as he travelled back to Washington following his five-day visit to Scotland. During his stay, he had a two-hour dinner on Monday with current First Minister John Swinney, alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Mr Swinney, who also met Mr Trump on Tuesday morning, said he had used the talks to push the president to exempt Scotch from US tariffs. Speaking to reporters on his flight home, the president was asked if he offered to drop the levy on Scotland's national drink. He replied: 'No. We really didn't discuss it much. But I have a lot of respect for him [Mr Swinney].' Journalists began asking questions again before Mr Trump interjected: 'I didn't have a lot of respect for the woman that preceded him – I thought she was terrible as a first minister of Scotland. 'But I think John is doing a very good job of first minister.' A source close to Ms Sturgeon responded: 'Trump's lack of respect for women is hardly news. 'That said, the feeling was entirely mutual.' US President Donald Trump made the comments after a five-day visit to Scotland (Chris Furlong/PA) Ms Sturgeon added on her Instagram account: 'Feeling was mutual, Donnie. 'Forever proud to represent all the things that offend your view of the world.' Mr Trump criticised Ms Sturgeon, who became first minister in 2014, during her resignation in 2023. He described her as a 'failed woke extremist' and a 'crazed leftist' who 'symbolises everything wrong with identity politics'. When he was first elected as president in 2016, Ms Sturgeon described Mr Trump's behaviour and rhetoric as 'abhorrent'. Mr Trump left Scotland on Tuesday after visiting his golf courses in Turnberry, South Ayrshire, and Menie in Aberdeenshire. During his stay he struck a trade agreement, described by him as 'the biggest in history', with the EU, and held a meeting with Sir Keir to improve the UK-US trade deal. As he opened his new golf course in Aberdeenshire, Donald Trump asked John Swinney to stand so he could thank him (Jane Barlow/PA) Mr Swinney said following his talks with the US leader that Mr Trump had shown a 'willingness' to move on Scotch tariffs, which currently sit at 10%. During Mr Trump's speech to open a new golf course at Menie on Tuesday morning, he asked the First Minister to stand to thank him. He said: 'John Swinney is a terrific guy – and loves golf and loves the people of this country, and we really appreciate it. 'You're really a very special guy. Thank-you very much for everything, John.'
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Business Standard
3 minutes ago
- Business
- Business Standard
ABD targets profitable growth, to add luxury brands and boost margins
Allied Blenders & Distillers, which houses brands such as Officer's Choice and Sterling Reserve, is focused on driving profitable growth in the coming quarters and expects its gross margins to improve significantly as it pursues expansion in the prestige and above segments. The company also intends to add another two to three luxury brands, after launching six in the previous financial year. 'As far as our business is concerned, the first fundamental is profitable growth. And profitable growth is in terms of gross margin focus across our entire portfolio, including our mass premium flavour, and expansion of the prestige and above (P&A) segment. Our P&A growth is about 44 per cent in the quarter (April–June), so we will focus on this segment, identifying new product opportunities within the prestige segment and the luxury portfolio. The first large theme is really profitable growth,' Alok Gupta, managing director, Allied Blenders & Distillers, told Business Standard in an interview. He added that in FY24, the company did not have any luxury brands and now houses six, with plans to add two to three more. In the prestige segment, Gupta said the company also intends to introduce two more flavours. He further explained that the second theme is to improve gross margins by focusing on procurement, supply chain efficiencies, and leveraging the UK–India free trade agreement (FTA). 'We are India's largest importer of bulk Scotch as an Indian company. This will impact our costs, which will improve our gross margins. Also, the backward integration projects we have undertaken are largely focused on the supply chain,' Gupta said. He added that the company will also prioritise capital planning to increase profitability. Gupta said he expects a 300 basis point improvement in gross margins over the next two to three years, which will flow down to EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation). On the UK–India FTA, he said maximum retail prices (MRPs) will drop marginally, especially for bottles priced at Rs 2,000 and above, which will benefit from the agreement. 'The luxury segment is already growing faster than any other segment. We are seeing significantly higher double-digit growth in this category. We believe that with a reduction in MRPs, especially on bottle-India brands, the segment will expand further and therefore the size of the pile will become bigger. This consumer is essentially experience driven and constantly looking for what's new. Our portfolio has just about come into place in the segment, and we are seeing it from an opportunity mindset,' Gupta added.
The Independent
19 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Donald Trump calls Nicola Sturgeon ‘terrible first minister' on flight back to US
US President Donald Trump has criticised former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon, describing her as a 'terrible first minister '. Trump made the unpromted comments on Air Force One as he travelled back to Washington following his five-day visit to Scotland. During his stay, he had a two-hour dinner on Monday with current First Minister John Swinney, alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Mr Swinney, who also met Mr Trump on Tuesday morning, said he had used the talks to push the president to exempt Scotch from US tariffs. Speaking to reporters on his flight home, the president was asked if he offered to drop the levy on Scotland's national drink. He replied: 'No. We really didn't discuss it much. But I have a lot of respect for him [Mr Swinney].' Journalists began asking questions again before Mr Trump interjected: 'I didn't have a lot of respect for the woman that preceded him – I thought she was terrible as a first minister of Scotland. 'But I think John is doing a very good job of first minister.' A source close to Ms Sturgeon responded: 'Trump's lack of respect for women is hardly news. 'That said, the feeling was entirely mutual.' Ms Sturgeon added on her Instagram account: 'Feeling was mutual, Donnie. 'Forever proud to represent all the things that offend your view of the world.' Mr Trump criticised Ms Sturgeon, who became first minister in 2014, during her resignation in 2023. He described her as a 'failed woke extremist' and a 'crazed leftist' who 'symbolises everything wrong with identity politics'. When he was first elected as president in 2016, Ms Sturgeon described Mr Trump's behaviour and rhetoric as 'abhorrent'. Mr Trump left Scotland on Tuesday after visiting his golf courses in Turnberry, South Ayrshire, and Menie in Aberdeenshire. During his stay he struck a trade agreement, described by him as 'the biggest in history', with the EU, and held a meeting with Sir Keir to improve the UK-US trade deal. Mr Swinney said following his talks with the US leader that Mr Trump had shown a 'willingness' to move on Scotch tariffs, which currently sit at 10%. During Mr Trump's speech to open a new golf course at Menie on Tuesday morning, he asked the First Minister to stand to thank him. He said: 'John Swinney is a terrific guy – and loves golf and loves the people of this country, and we really appreciate it. 'You're really a very special guy. Thank-you very much for everything, John.'
South Wales Guardian
32 minutes ago
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Trump criticised ‘terrible first minister' Sturgeon on flight back to US
He made the comments on Air Force One as he travelled back to Washington following his five-day visit to Scotland. During his stay, he had a two-hour dinner on Monday with current First Minister John Swinney, alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Mr Swinney, who also met Mr Trump on Tuesday morning, said he had used the talks to push the president to exempt Scotch from US tariffs. Speaking to reporters on his flight home, the president was asked if he offered to drop the levy on Scotland's national drink. He replied: 'No. We really didn't discuss it much. But I have a lot of respect for him [Mr Swinney].' Journalists began asking questions again before Mr Trump interjected: 'I didn't have a lot of respect for the woman that preceded him – I thought she was terrible as a first minister of Scotland. 'But I think John is doing a very good job of first minister.' A source close to Ms Sturgeon responded: 'Trump's lack of respect for women is hardly news. 'That said, the feeling was entirely mutual.' Ms Sturgeon added on her Instagram account: 'Feeling was mutual, Donnie. 'Forever proud to represent all the things that offend your view of the world.' Mr Trump criticised Ms Sturgeon, who became first minister in 2014, during her resignation in 2023. He described her as a 'failed woke extremist' and a 'crazed leftist' who 'symbolises everything wrong with identity politics'. When he was first elected as president in 2016, Ms Sturgeon described Mr Trump's behaviour and rhetoric as 'abhorrent'. Mr Trump left Scotland on Tuesday after visiting his golf courses in Turnberry, South Ayrshire, and Menie in Aberdeenshire. During his stay he struck a trade agreement, described by him as 'the biggest in history', with the EU, and held a meeting with Sir Keir to improve the UK-US trade deal. Mr Swinney said following his talks with the US leader that Mr Trump had shown a 'willingness' to move on Scotch tariffs, which currently sit at 10%. During Mr Trump's speech to open a new golf course at Menie on Tuesday morning, he asked the First Minister to stand to thank him. He said: 'John Swinney is a terrific guy – and loves golf and loves the people of this country, and we really appreciate it. 'You're really a very special guy. Thank-you very much for everything, John.'
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Business
- Scotsman
'Terrific guy' John Swinney will view his meetings with Donald Trump as a big success
Sign up to our Politics newsletter 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... It was a moment John Swinney will probably remember for the rest of his life. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "I also want to thank your First Minister, who's here," the US President, who was dressed in his golf gear and a white cap, told the audience of assembled dignitaries from the worlds of politics, business and sport. "John, will you stand up? John Swinney, who's a terrific guy and he loves golf and he loves the people of this country, and we really appreciate it. You're really a very special guy. Thank you very much for everything, John." US President Donald Trump during his visit to Scotland | PA The night before, Mr Swinney had joined the US President for a private dinner at Trump International, which was also attended by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and around 18 other people. The First Minister sat on one side of Mr Trump, with Sir Keir on the other. The President's son, Eric, sat across from them. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Over a meal of langoustines and beef, the conversation ranged from business to pleasure. Mr Swinney showed the President a photo of his teenage son, Matthew, playing golf on Tiree a few weeks ago. 'He commented to me that my son has a beautiful swing, which my son was very pleased to hear about,' the First Minister said. They also talked tariffs, and particularly their impact on the Scotch whisky industry. The US export market is worth almost £1 billion a year to the whisky sector, but tariffs are costing it about £4 million a week. Mr Swinney argues whisky should be exempted because of its unique status. He said the President listened to this and showed a willingness to look again at the issue. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad John Swinney chatting with Anas Sarwar | Lisa Ferguson / The Scotsman The pair then met again for around 15 minutes on Tuesday morning, shortly before the opening ceremony at Trump International, where the main topic of conversation was Gaza. They posed for pictures in front of the American flag and Saltire. There is now a sense of optimism within Mr Swinney's team that a breakthrough can be made on whisky tariffs. A window of opportunity has opened, they believe, which simply did not exist before. On Monday, Mr Trump told journalists he did not know whisky tariffs were a problem. Well, now he knows, and that counts for something. He will return to the UK for a full state visit in September. Could some sort of deal be struck before then? 'I think President Trump came to Scotland on Friday with a view that the UK-US trade deal was done and dusted, it was all settled,' the First Minister told journalists. 'And I've set out to him an argument about the unique character and identity of Scotch whisky.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
