Scotland’s 25 oldest family firms have clocked up a total of more than 3,700 years in business, a new report says.
Moray is unveiled as a hotbed of family business longevity, accounting for one-fifth of the companies which have been on the go since at least 1905.
According to Close Brothers Asset Management (CBAM), the oldest of all is John White and Son of Auchtermuchty in Fife.
It has manufactured weighing equipment since 1715 and its managing director, Edwin White, is the eighth generation to be involved in the business founded by John White nearly 300 years ago.
The strong Moray contingent is led by Johnstons of Elgin, which has been making cashmere and tweed products since 1797. CBAM says Johnstons is the second oldest family-run firm in Scotland.
Whisky-maker Glenfarclas of Ballindalloch, founded in 1865, is third on the list.
Fochabers-based Baxters Food Group, famed for its soups, sauces and jams, is 10th equal with a history dating back to 1868.
The two other Moray firms are Dufftown-based whisky firm William Grant & Sons (18th) and Walkers Shortbread (23rd equal), of Aberlour, which were founded in 1887 and 1898 respectively.
The oldest family firm in Aberdeen is James Cordiner and Son. It specialises in wood products and dates back to 1870, making it the 13th oldest family-run business.
Other names on the list of 25 include the Denholm Group, of Glasgow, which has shipping logistics, seafood and oilfield service operations employing more than 3,000 people and goes back to 1866.
Lanarkshire-based Thomas Tunnock and its biscuits, teacakes and snowballs traces its roots back to 1890.
The youngest company among the 25 is publishing group DC Thomson, of Dundee, which was founded in 1905. Its businesses include Aberdeen Journals, which produces the Press and Journal and Evening Express.
CBAM’s Oldest Family Businesses in Scotland 2013 report highlights the key role played by family businesses in Scotland’s economy.
They are said to account for about half of the total private sector workforce and nearly three-quarters of all firms.
Penny Lovell, head of private client services at CBAM, said: “Family businesses have played a fundamental role in shaping the economic and cultural landscape of Scotland.
“The innovation and enterprise of family businesses has seen them adapt and thrive through the industrial revolution to the digital age and establish themselves as the lifeblood of the Scottish and wider UK economy.”