The £2.5m headquarters of construction company Leiths Scotland has been officially opened in Aberdeen by First Minister Alex Salmond.

The First Minister welcomed the company's commitment to investing in Aberdeen, which, he said, demonstrates confidence in the Scottish economy and construction industry.

Leiths is a family firm which employs 500 people and has a turnover of almost £60m. It operates in bases across Scotland and produces a range of construction materials for use in the building and civil engineering industry.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: "The construction of Leiths' new £2.5m facility demonstrates the company's great sense of confidence in its future and the sustainable economic growth of Aberdeen and Scotland.


"Leiths has established firm foundations in the economy of the north east, contributing to its successful growth to 23 bases throughout the country. I am delighted to celebrate the opening of Leiths' custom-built headquarter."

The FM said the construction sector is an important part of the Scottish economy and the Scottish Government is doing all it can to support the sector in the current financial climate.

The Government have outlined a £35bn infrastructure investment programme for the next decade, with £3.8bn being spent this year on transport projects, schools and hospitals.

Salmond continued: "This headquarters in Cove highlights Leiths' ambition to build on its success and I have confidence the company will rise to that challenge and go from strength-to-strength throughout Scotland in the coming years."

Chairman of Leiths, Ian Leith, said: "We are very pleased that the First Minister has taken time out from his busy schedule to open our new offices. Leiths hopes to benefit from the many development projects scheduled in the Aberdeen area. These offices will ensure that we have sufficient room to accommodate the future expansion of the business."

(GK/KMcA)