Selfridges has credited a raft of new customer experiences such as an indoor skating bowl and a crystal-encrusted Damien Hirst artwork as it posted another year of record sales.

The historic retailer shrugged off the retail malaise weighing on the high street to increase sales by 6% to £1.85 billion for the year to February 2019.

However, the company also saw operating profits slip to £170 million, from £175 million the previous year, as it increased investment across its portfolio.

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Selfridges said customer numbers increased after it drove investment into improving costumer experiences, such as with the launch of a skate bowl on its new menswear floor at its London Oxford Street store.

It also heavily invested in the opening of its Brasserie of Light restaurant last year, which has mirrored walls and a crystal-covered Pegasus sculpture designed by Hurst.

Data collection and analytics firm YouGov has notched up a 65% leap in annual pre-tax profits to £19.5 million as it said it smashed its five-year targets in a "milestone" year.

The group said revenues rose 17%, or 10% on an underlying basis in the year to July 31, while adjusted pre-tax profits lifted 26% to £20.5 million.

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Underlying UK revenues grew by 18% and US revenue grew by 5%.

Sir Martin Sorrell has said he expects to make another acquisition "shortly" after merging his Dutch company MediaMonks with the largest independent advertising agency in Silicon Valley, in a deal worth $150 million (£122.5 million).

Speaking to the PA news agency, Sir Martin said the money left over from a £100 million fundraising after the merger with San Francisco-based Firewood will be spent on a takeover in the content area.

The deal is expected to cost $77.5 million (£63 million) in cash, and the same in shares.

"There will be another thing coming," he said, adding that the company also expects a couple of smaller takeovers in the data and analytics area.

With clients including Facebook, Google and LinkedIn, the Firewood agency brings over 300 new staff across seven offices in the Americas and Europe to Sir Martin's fledgling media empire.