Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
Caffe Nero makes move to open third coffee shop in Aberdeen city centre
Caffe Nero is set to open its third café in Aberdeen city centre, according to plans lodged with the council.
The coffee chain has lodged an application with Aberdeen City Council for units 3–5 on St Nicholas Street. The planning application outlines a £360,000 spend on the refit.
The work would mean merging two units into one larger unit to create the new shop.
Read more in the P&J.
Kingsmill and Hovis in merger talks amid processed foods backlash
The owner of Kingsmill has confirmed it is considering a merger of its bread business with Hovis as the baking industry struggles to respond to a backlash against processed foods.
Associated British Foods, the FTSE 100 group which also owns Ryvita and Primark, said it was in discussions with Endless, the private equity firm that owns Hovis, about a potential combination with its bread business Allied Bakeries.
The deal would bring two of the UK’s largest bread brands together as the industry struggles against changing consumer habitsand higher costs.
Click here to read in The Times.
Union Street bank to become restaurant ‘within weeks’
The opening date for a new restaurant taking shape in the former Bank of Scotland on Union Street has been revealed.
GlenHouse, the new venue being spearheaded by Mosaic Group, will open its doors on Saturday 31 May according to the freshly launched website.
Along with this, the restaurant has also revealed the wide variety of offerings it will bring to the Granite Mile – including a stacked menu and a “boozy lunch” option. The website also boasts of an extensive whisky collection, and the diner is already advertising for staff.
Click here to read more.
Exodus at TalkTalk as customers quit for broadband upgrades
TalkTalk has been hit by an exodus of customers as the struggling broadband business loses ground to rivals.
The telecoms group, which is owned by billionaire Sir Charles Dunstone, saw its customer base fall by more than 400,000 to 3.2million in the year to February.
It comes amid heavy cost-cutting at TalkTalk, which narrowly avoided collapse last year after securing an emergency cash injection from Sir Charles and other shareholders.
Find out more.