The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)

£500k deal for Begbies Traynor

Hospitalit­y:

- BY KEITH FINDLAY BY KEITH FINDLAY

Corporate recovery specialist­s Begbies Traynor said yesterday it had acquired a fivestrong Scottish team and 503 personal solvency cases from rival Grant Thornton in a deal worth up to £500,000.

Manchester-headquarte­red Begbies said the deal grew its presence north of the border, where it provides corporate and personal insolvency services, as well as restructur­ing support through 36 partners and staff.

The acquired work adds to Begbies’ existing Scottish personal insolvency portfolio of about 1,500 cases, managed from offices in Aberdeen, Inverness, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Chairman Ric Traynor said: “The acquisitio­n of this team and cases will enhance our existing strong insolvency team across Scotland.

“As we reported in our recent trading update, the group is in a strong position, trading well, and we continue to seek opportunit­ies to grow the business, both organicall­y and through acquisitio­ns.”

Meanwhile, business advice firm FRP Advisory has appointed Chad Griffin as a new partner in Scotland.

He will be working out of offices in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Mr Griffin previously worked for FTI Consulting in London, which he helped launch and grow over 15 years. His experience covers the oil and gas, renewables, retail, constructi­on, manufactur­ing, commercial property, IT and leisure sectors, with high-profile cases including the liquidatio­n of Xcite Energy and Iona Energy’s company voluntary agreement.

A north-east hotel is believed to be the first in Scotland to take delivery of a “revolution­ary” mobile decontamin­ation device capable of combating superbug micro-organisms.

Ardoe House Hotel and Spa, at Blairs, near Aberdeen, is using the Disinfect+ machine to make sure its premises are free of Covid-19 and any other unseen dangers in the run-up to its reopening after lockdown.

The unit, one of only two in the UK, is said to kill nearly 100% of bacteria and viruses.

It has been tested on the micro-organisms which cause Covid-19, ebola and norovirus, or winter vomiting bug.

The technology was developed in Austria, predominan­tly for use in hospitals, and is being used at a variety of locations in its country of origin by the Red Cross.

Because it is 100% mobile and designed for “plug and play” operations, it is suitable for use in many other sectors.

Ardoe House general manager Chris Hodgens said: “We are keen to get the hotel operationa­l again by summer 2020, so have a robust plan in place for a phased opening.

“Having access to medical-grade equipment is a game-changer, not just for the hospitalit­y industry but for every sector that wants to look after its workforce and wider society.

“I really believe this will be a major part of health, safety and customer confidence in businesses from now on.”

Aberdeensh­ire-based marketing expert Lee Brett and a business partner took over the local “master” franchise for Disinfect+ just two months ago.

Mr Brett, who has worked with global brands including Emirates, Pepsi

“We continue to seek opportunit­ies to grow the business”

“We are keen to get the hotel operationa­l again by summer 2020”

and Pizza Hut, said: “The time is now right to start looking at the rejuvenati­on of the Scottish economy and it’s crucial this is done in the safest manner possible. In addition to public and private care providers, we expect to be working with the retail, oil and gas and medical sectors, including GP and dental surgeries and pharmacies, all of whom are in need of clinical standards of protection and reassuranc­e as we manage the ‘new normal’.”

 ??  ?? ROOM SERVICE: Disinfect+ gets to work at Ardoe House Hotel and Spa at Blairs
ROOM SERVICE: Disinfect+ gets to work at Ardoe House Hotel and Spa at Blairs

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