Banksy's latest has been torn off the wall of a Poundland and offered for sale in Miami

Buoyant demand for tablet devices powered better-than-expected sales at Dixons Retail's Currys and Home Retail's Argos over Christmas, but neither group sees any improvement in UK consumer spending in the year ahead.

The owner of PC World and Currys benefited from the demise of rival Comet today by reporting a bigger-than-expected surge in Christmas sales.

Has electrical retailer Dixons managed to "internet-proof" itself? Analysts at Deutsche Bank think the loss-making retailer may still have a bright future ahead of it. The impact of shoppers spending on the internet rather than at its stores could be reaching its apex they claim.

Dixons Retail, the owner of Currys and PC World, said it has not seen "much disruption" from the stock liquidation at failed rival Comet, as its UK business returned to profit for the first time in five years.

Comet has launched a liquidation sale as administrators move to wind down the failed retailer ahead of store closures as early as next week.

Thousands of jobs are at risk as Comet, the 240-store electricals retailer, is poised to appoint an accountancy firm as administrator just nine months after the UK chain was bought for a token £2.

From Hemel Hempstead to Cupertino - and back again

Dixons Retail, the owner of Currys and PC World, blamed hefty write-downs on the value of its struggling Italian and Greek businesses for a painful full-year loss of nearly £120m.

The odds on a Greek exit from the euro are shortening, but many UK businesses could be caught out

1. Rowenta DG8760 Pro Perfect

£188.02 amazon.co.uk

This iron sails through crumpled laundry, even tough linen, with complete ease, which you'd hope, at this price.

Not seen this chap before.

How do extended warranties work?

Outlook The writers of the Simpsons once used a fondness for extended warranties to illustrate their anti-hero Homer's stupidity. And yet despite the things being about as useful a car without wheels, people are still buying. To such an extent that the Office of Fair Trading takes a close interest.