HMV boosted by late surge: Music and books retailer HMV maintained a cautious outlook for UK consumer spending despite a 6.4 per cent hike in underlying sales at Christmas. HMV said a late surge in demand had kept it on course to meet its full-year targets after weak trading conditions hurt sales in November and early December. Albums by U2 and the Scissor Sisters helped like-for-like sales at its core HMV stores to rise by 4.3 per cent in the five weeks to January 8.

CAR DEAL: A union leader has predicted Rover will clinch a deal involving China's state-owned carmaker which will secure thousands of jobs in the UK following support from the Prime Minister. Tony Woodley, general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union, said a joint venture with Shanghai Automotive, which would preserve production at the Longbridge plant in Birmingham, was the "only game in town" for Rover. He revealed that Mr Blair had written a letter to the Chinese government in support of the deal.

PROPERTY PRICES: The average property price in the UK fell again by a further 1.2 per cent last month, but finished 2004 on average 6.4 per cent higher than a year ago, according to figures. The National Association of Estate Agents reported that activity is starting to increase and the market is expected to pick up by Easter at the latest.

SALES INCREASE: Clinton Cards said sales had held up over Christmas in the face of a more challenging environment on the high street. Like-for-like sales rose 1.8 per cent in the five weeks to Christmas Eve to ensure that Clinton maintained the momentum of two per cent sales growth in the first 48 weeks of its financial year.

MANAGEMENT SUCCESS: Corporate investigation company Diligentia has achieved the highest Quality Management Standard in business. The group, which has offices in Newcastle and Hexham in Northumberland, has won ISO 9001/2000 certification.