What the Sunday papers said…

Wolverhampton & Dudley is on fine predatory form as its offer for the 460 Burtonwood pubs looks set to push its estate to 2,135. This makes it the first brewer to break the 2,000 pub ownership limit set 10 years ago by the beer orders which were subsequently relaxed in 2000 - Financial Times​

Wolves & Dudley announced a £120m offer for Burtonwood sparking speculation about a wave of sector consolidation as Wolves slugs it out with Greene King for pole position among regional brewers - Financial Times​

The battle between fags and food is shaping up nicely after the head of Mitchells & Butlers, which serves £500m worth of food a year, warned that a lot of pubs might drop food as a result - Sunday Telegraph​

Big Food Group chief executive Bill Grimsey was forced to accept a £52m cut in the price that Nordic bidder Bauger would pay for the company after a further alarming fall in sales - Mail on Sunday​

Drinks giant Allied Domecq has launched a major investigation into conduct at its marketing division after suspending one of its top executives for alleged 'personal financial irregularities' - Financial Mail​

Punch Taverns has emerged as the front runner to buy 350 pubs being sold by rival operator Spirit Group for around £300m after submitting a second-round bid for the estate - Sunday Times​

The British High Street suffered a brutal sales slump in November, heightening fears that the retail sector is set for its worst Christmas in decades - Sunday Times​

Millions of pounds of vital funding will be cut from the budgets of historic national institutions, such as the Tate, the V&A and the Natural History Museum, to pay for the Government's gambling free-for-all, according to the Gambling Commission, a body set up to monitor the social impact of the proposed super-casinos - Mail on Sunday​

Food manufacturers will help fund a massive government advertising campaign next year urging Britons to get fit and eat healthier diets. Food companies are to pay monies into a trust, provisionally entitled the Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Trust, and the Government will ensure those companies have no control over the direction of the campaign and are not allowed to use their logos on promotional materials - The Observer​