Oil and gas engineering consultant Optimus (Aberdeen) is opening a new office in Inverness in order to capitalise on the skills base in the area. The expanding company will create 20 jobs at the new office, which has space to accommodate 50 employees.

Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy has completed the acquisition of Agora Oil & Gas. Norway-based Agora is now 100% owned by Cairn. The acquisition is part of Cairns strategy to build a balanced portfolio and has already proved beneficial through the Skarfjell discovery in the Norwegian North Sea. Cairn Energy 2010 turnover was £103.2m, 1,020 employees.

BP Pension Fund has sold The Cornerhouse, a big leisure complex in Nottingham to London based Land Securities, the largest real estate investment trust in the UK, for £50m. The purpose built leisure scheme covers 225,000 square feet and includes a 14 screen cinema, shopping facilities, 11 restaurants, two bars, a nightclub and a casino.

Oil company BP recorded profits of £2.95bn in the 2012 first quarter, compared with £3.06bn in the previous quarter and expectations of £3.07bn. It is selling off billions of pounds of assets following the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010. Gas and oil production has fallen 6%. 2011 turnover £241.6bn, 81,500 employees.