Outlook Here's an example of what you get if you run a retailer that doesn't seem to require that its chief executives devote lots of time to getting photographed with Twiggy or Dannii Minogue and instead gives customers what they want, when they want it.

Primark, the value fashion chain, is expecting strong profits growth over the next six months after a flat first half, its owner Associated British Foods said yesterday.

Today

Associated British Foods said yesterday that sugar production was up from 1 million tonnes to 1.3 million tonnes year on year, thanks to a mild winter that increased the sugar content of beets.

With London Fashion Week starting tomorrow, designers are closeted in studios putting finishing touches to their collections. But one of them may have cause for complaint – the discount retailer Primark is selling copies of one of her outfits at a tenth of the price of the real thing.

The discount fashion chain Primark and online specialist Asos posted strong sales yesterday, reinforcing their status as two of the retail sector's best performers in recent years.

It is always when you're down that people line up to give you a kicking. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has been down for a very long time and so it's taking brickbats from all quarters. Start with the shares, which have halved in value over the past year, leaving its biggest shareholder (us, thanks to the Government bailout) facing a paper loss in the billions. Then there are the unions, who are outraged over the jobs cuts that seem to come on a monthly basis.

When you shout about dressing people for £3 you surely ought to find a ready market

Katy B, Adele, Lady Gaga – not to mention the late Amy Winehouse – grabbed most of the attention this year

Selfridges more than doubled its dividend to £101m last year after a leap in profits. The payout provides another huge windfall for the Westons, the billionaire family behind Associated British Foods, who bought the department store group for £598m in 2003.

The bag

Fears over the health of the UK retail sector were fuelled today as a flooring firm fell into administration and confidence on the high street hit a two-year low.

Two of the retail sector's most powerful operators yesterday showed their rivals a clean pair of heels by posting a strong rise in sales, although both were buoyed by their international divisions.