D&D London reports 4% like-for-likes in December: D&D London, whose venues including Quaglino’s, Kensington Place and Le Pont de la Tour, has reported a return to growth after lacklustre late summer trading, The Times has reported. The company said that its like-for-like sales in the UK increased by 4% in December and a record 100,000 bottles of wine and champagne had been sold. Des Gunewardena, the group’s chief executive, told The Times he was concerned by the decline in like-for-like sales in the summer. However, since the middle of October comparable sales had returned to positive territory and he was “feeling a bit more optimistic about life”.

Inn Collection reports 7.5% rise in December sales: Pub operator The Inn Collection Group have revealed record Christmas trading following upbeat seasonal sales. The north east based leisure operator reported a rise in like-for-like sales of 7.5% in the five weeks leading up to 6 January, compared to the same period last year. Sean Donkin, operations director at the north east based pub group, said: “We are delighted to have exceeded our seasonal sales forecasts with the strongest like-for-like sales achieved yet in the group’s ten-year history. We enjoyed an extended period of festivities as a result of Christmas falling on a Monday, which enabled us to optimise the number of Christmas party events across our units, which has contributed towards a record rise in accommodation sales. Bar sales grew strongly, driven by demand for premium drinks products and our Christmas menus and entertainment were well received and helped secure record covers across the period.” Strong festive trading topped an excellent year of trading for the operator, with the group delivering like for like sales growth of 13pc for the year as a whole. Overall, all trading formats performed well across the group’s estate of pubs with rooms, with accommodation leading the way with a 26% increase in sales. The Inn Collection Group’s estate has a current total of 202 bedrooms across its Northumberland, County Durham and Teesside units, and construction of a further 30-bedroom new build inn at Amble, Northumberland, is underway, set to open in October 2018. The eight-site leisure operator, which is backed by London-based Kings Park Capital, is one of the north east’s largest independent accommodation providers.

Public Health England reveals 25% of calories come from food produced outside the home: A quarter of all the calories consumers eat come from food produced outside the home, experts from Public Health England have revealed. The figures include all out-of-home sources of ready-to-eat food, such as restaurants, cafes, takeaways, supermarkets, vending machines and convenience stores. Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, said: “Eating out, takeaways and ready meals are no longer a treat and account for a quarter of total calorie consumption. People eat around 200 to 300 calories too many a day, and doing so consistently has led to the obesity crisis gripping our nation. We will be working with the food industry to reduce the calories in everyday food and this year, our marketing campaigns are encouraging people to be more calorie-aware.” Britain’s obesity problem is the worst in Western Europe, with two-thirds of adults and one-third of children overweight. Experts fear this will lead to soaring rates of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. New guidelines will also affect meals bought in supermarkets, so sausage rolls, crisps and ready-made sandwiches could also be targeted. The guidelines are voluntary – but manufacturers will be encouraged to change their recipes, to remove sugar and fat. Public Health England is also launching a campaign to persuade people to limit calories at every meal – 400 for breakfast, 600 for lunch and 600 for dinner – although officials say limits are unlikely to be applied to restaurant dishes. A report by the Royal Society of Public Health found British workers add an average 767 calories to their diet every week simply by snacking during their commute.