Plans have been submitted to demolish two office blocks in the Scottish capital to be replaced with homes and businesses.

Scott Hobbs Planning has submitted the Proposal of Application Notice for the "demolition of existing building and erection of mixed-use development including residential, office, retail and café/restaurant uses, at 108-114 and 116 Dundas Street, Edinburgh".

It has been submitted on behalf of MMMARS Dundas Limited, in what it described as a "major development".

Further details are expected ahead of an online public consultation due to run from October 26 to November 13.

Last October two families who split their joint business nearly 80 years ago were reunited to make the £10 million acquisition of the New Town properties.

READ MORE: Families reunite to acquire £10m Edinburgh office block

Mactaggart & Mickel, the fourth-generation family-owned property and housebuilding company, linked up with Mactaggart Family & Partners after first being joined from 1925 until 1943 as Mactaggart & Mickel, before the latter became entirely a Mickel family concern.

The other investors in the joint venture were said at the time to be Edinburgh-based Rennick Property and Millard Estates Ltd.

The acquisition included the adjacent offices on the corner of Fettes Row and Dundas Street, known as Centrum House and Bupa House. The buildings sit opposite the former Royal Bank of Scotland site, where the development of homes, shops and offices is planned.

Supermarkets and their shoppers are facing around £3.1 billion in tariffs on food and drink each year unless the UK reaches a free trade deal with the EU, a leading trade body has said.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said retailers will have "nowhere to go other than to raise the price of food" to mitigate the tariffs if there is no deal before Christmas.

READ MORE: Working from home fails to stem ‘critical’ need for new offices in Glasgow

It said many non-food retailers will also face "large tariff bills" for EU-sourced products, increasing the cost for struggling shops and their customers.

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability the BRC, said: "UK consumers have benefited from great value, quality, and choice of food thanks to our ability to trade tariff-free with the EU.

"Unless we negotiate a zero-tariff deal with the EU, the public will face higher prices for their weekly shop.

"This would prevent harm to shoppers, retailers and the wider economy."

Parcel carrier Yodel is to recruit almost 3,000 workers as it gears up for the busiest festive period in recent history.

The new roles include 2,500 self-employed and 450 employed positions, including couriers and parcel sorters at all of the firm's 50 locations across the UK.

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The recruitment drive is in response to the demand for online retail, which has increased dramatically during 2020 as a result of the virus crisis.

Official figures have shown internet purchases made up a third of total retail sales during May, a record high, and have remained significantly above pre-lockdown levels since.

Yodel said the trend is expected to continue in the winter months as social distancing restrictions remain in place.

Chief executive Mike Hancox said: "The ongoing growth in online retail is set to continue into the festive season as consumers flock to buy gifts.

"We're expecting this peak period to be higher in intensity and longer in duration than ever before as people look to prepare for Christmas earlier."

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