According to the Lloyds TSB Business Unit the economy in Scotland is growing, albeit at a lower than hoped for rate.
Looking at the last three months almost 40 percent of businesses in Scotland reported that turnover was up, a third remained unchanged whilst 28 percent had seen a reduction. When combined these figures show a net gain of 11 percent – better than the quarter before but much less than the same time last year. A Lloyds TSB economist reported that Scottish businesses were expecting their figures to reduce in the next 6 months though their actual performance was better than the rest of the country.
Both manufacturing and service industries had enjoyed growth over the last quarter, which is a very healthy situation, though some business owners were telling the Lloyds TSB survey that they were beginning to notice the access to credit tightening up which could be a concern in the future.
Lloyds TSB has this week increased the rates of interest offered on its Plus current account to 6 percent, an enormous 2 percent more than it was previously.
The new higher interest rate is being offered on this particular Lloyds TSB current account for new customers opening their account before July 13. The only proviso is that at least GBP1,000 per month must be paid into the account, something that is quite common anyway.
Increasing their interest rate is quite a move for Lloyds TSB, though they appreciate that customers in the UK tend to be quite fixed when it comes to their current accounts, tending to stay with the same bank for many years. Lloyds therefore feel they have to really make an impact with their message in order to get people to consider moving and an impact it certainly is.
Sitting down and watching BBC programme The Apprentice is proving to be an inspiration to many viewers to set out on their own.
A poll carried out by Direct Line revealed that nearly 20 percent of people have thought about setting up a specific business whilst watching the programme, with a further 12 percent feeling that they should take the step of becoming their own boss in some form of enterprise.
One of the biggest things that inspired these people to believe in themselves was the feeling that they could just as well, or better, than the people on the programme. This is a very positive stance to take, though a Direct Line spokeswoman did want to advise people that setting up in business is more complex and testing than it can appear on television.
Any wannabe Apprentice looking for a business bank account can compare rates at Moneygossip.co.uk
