Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
Grandmother embezzled £1.5m from employer in Aberdeen
An Aberdeen grandmother who stole more than £1.5m from her employers enjoyed expensive family holidays and bought two caravans, a court has heard.
First offender Coleen Muirhead, 55, admitted embezzling the money from Panda Rosa Metals.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how she channelled funds to a fake client while working as an administrative assistant.
Sentence was deferred for a background report.
New CV19 variant found in Scotland
Scotland has detected its first case of a new Covid variant that is being closely monitored by the World Health Organization.
The BA.2.86 variant is not yet considered a variant of concern but it has a high number of mutations.
Genomic sequencing detected the variant from a PCR sample collected on 16 August, the BBC says.
The BA.2.86 strain has already been found in several countries including Canada, Israel and the US.
Testing for the virus has been scaled back across the globe and scientists say they do not have clear information about how rapidly it is spreading.
Bus company 'has operator licence revoked'
The owner of Bain’s Coaches has had his operator’s licence revoked after an investigation found he “deliberately” failed to keep vehicles up to standard – then faked documents to cover it up.
The P&J reports that Douglas Bain has been running coaches in the north-east since 1975 and has previously run school buses to Kemnay Academy, Ellon Academy and others.
His firms have also run transport to gigs across Scotland and for local events, including most recently for the Oldmeldrum Highland Games.
Now Scotland’s transport commissioner Claire Gilmore has concluded Mr Bain’s knowledge his “severely lacking” and “out of date” following a public inquiry.
HMV owner Doug Putman seeks to rescue Wilko
The owner of HMV is edging closer to a deal to buy collapsed discounter Wilko, saving thousands of jobs and the majority of shops, the BBC understands.
Doug Putman plans to keep up to 300 of the current 400 Wilko shops open if he succeeds in buying the chain.
If the deal goes ahead, it would mean thousands of the current 12,500 jobs at risk could be saved, according to the BBC.
The development comes after a bid from private equity firm M2 Capital to buy the business fell through.
The discount chain, a stalwart of the High Street, fell into administration in August putting 12,500 jobs at risk across 400 shops.
Storm power cuts compensation nearly triples to £2,000
The maximum amount of compensation households and firms can claim for power cuts due to storms has nearly tripled under new rules.
The cap has gone up from £700 to £2,000, said energy watchdog Ofgem.
It follows a review into the response to Storm Arwen, when nearly one million homes and businesses lost power - thousands for several days.
An Ofgem director said the "tough new rules" would ensure energy companies prepare better for severe weather.
Rail strikes underway ahead of weekend disruption
Large parts of the country will have no train services on Friday as the latest major strike action takes place.
Members of Aslef, the train drivers' union, who work at more than a dozen train companies, have walked out and will to work refuse overtime on Saturday.
Up to 20,000 RMT union members at 14 operators will also strike on Saturday in a long-running dispute.
Find out if your journey is affected via the BBC.