Here are the business stories making the headlines in Scotland and across the UK this morning.

World’s biggest offshore wind farm to be built in British waters

The world’s biggest offshore wind farm is to be built in British waters after its developer said it planned to charge consumers higher prices for some of its electricity.

Orsted said it was pressing ahead with the £8 billion Hornsea Three development, which could power more than three million homes, after threatening to pull the plug on it this year because of soaring costs.

The Danish state-controlled energy group said it would ditch part of the contract it secured from the UK government last year to supply power from the project at a record low price to consumers. It now plans to seek a new contract at a higher price in respect of a quarter of the wind farm after the government confirmed that more generous contracts would be on offer next year.

Orsted said it had also worked with supply chain companies to renegotiate or tighten contracts to reduce risk from the project and had benefited from “helpful” tax breaks unveiled in the autumn statement.

Hornsea Three will comprise about 200 wind turbines about 75 miles off the coast of Norfolk, with a total capacity of up to 2.9 gigawatts, making it the world’s biggest single offshore wind farm.

Ikea warns of product delays after Red Sea attacks

Ikea has warned of product delays following rebel attacks on ships using the key Red Sea trade route.

Houthi militants in Yemen have stepped up attacks on vessels since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October.

Iran-backed rebels have used drones and rockets to attack foreign-owned vessels transporting goods through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Suez Canal.

It has forced a number of companies to re-route cargo around Africa's Cape of Good Hope, adding days to journeys.

A spokesperson for Ikea said: "The situation in the Suez Canal will result in delays and may cause availability constraints for certain IKEA products."

New bottle shops raise spirits at resurgent Trinity Centre – and pop-ups could become permanent

The mall had fallen on tough times when it was put up for sale in 2022, with various units shutting following Debenhams’ closure.

But since the local Ardent group took over this summer, there have been various signs of recovery.

Bosses promised a new era of affordable rates to get businesses in, and it appears to be paying off.

The most notable recent addition has been a new brunch venue opening up in a unit left empty when Greggs flitted.

Now, a pair of bottle shops have taken on temporary locations in the mall, and are helping bring more shoppers in.

Warner Bros and Paramount plot £30bn Hollywood megamerger

Warner Bros and Paramount have opened discussions about a $38bn (£30bn) merger that would bring together two of Hollywood’s “Big Five” studios.

David Zaslaw, the chief executive of Warner Bros Discovery, met Bob Bakish, the boss of Paramount Global, in New York this week to discuss a possible combination of the two companies, online news website Axios reported.

A deal would bring together Warner Bros franchises including Harry Potter and Batman with Paramount properties such Indiana Jones and Star Trek.

A merger would help both companies compete with streaming platforms Netflix and Disney+. Both companies’ existing streaming platforms, Paramount+ and Max, have so far struggled to make serious ground against competitors.

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