THE DAILY BRIEFING

FESTIVE CHEER Strong trading helped D&D London toast its best ever Christmas. The upmarket restaurant group, which owns Bluebird, Quaglino’s and 100 Wardour Street, said sales jumped 11pc in the four weeks to December 31 compared to the year before.

TURNING JAPANESE The owner of Batchelors is in talks to sell the brand to the Japanese.

Premier Foods is mulling the sale of the maker of Super Noodles and Cup A Soup to its largest shareholder, Nissin Foods. The deal is valued at about £200m.

STRUGGLING SHOPS Retail footfall slumped 3.5pc in December – the biggest monthly decline since March 2013, as high streets and shopping centres struggled to attract customers.

High street footfall fell by 4.6pc on the previous year, while the number of people visiting shopping centres fell 3.8pc, according to retail analysts Springboard.

DRESSING UP Fashion chain Burberry is expected to post rising sales next week in the retailer’s first update since new boss Marco Gobbetti announced an overhaul that will see it focus on luxury shoppers.

BIG BOOST Surging online sales helped lift plus-size retailer Yours Clothing.

The retailer said online sales jumped 42pc in the seven weeks to January 7 while its UK shop sales jumped 16pc against the previous year. International online sales jumped 100pc, thanks to the launch of additional websites in Germany and France.

TAX OWED British businesses owe £4.4bn in overdue corporation tax and VAT. The total value of corporation tax in arrears hit a record high of £1.89bn in 2016/17 – rising from £1.82bn in 2015/16 – with a further £2.48bn in overdue VAT payments, according to data from Funding Options.