IN BRIEF

Discount supermarket Lidl hailed record Christmas sales – after shifting 600 tonnes of Brussels sprouts. The German-owned chain said it also sold 17 million mince pies and more than 800,000 litres of champagne and prosecco. Lidl said takings jumped 16% in December, thanks to attracting more customers and having more stores than a year ago. However, it did not reveal if it grew sales at the expense of profits.

Marks & Spencer has made another top-level hiring after poaching Humphrey Singer from Dixons Carphone as its new finance chief.

Housebuilding giant Taylor Wimpey says the property market remains “solid” despite wider economic uncertainty after reporting a 5% rise in completions to 14,541 for 2017.