Wellies, sequins and beer – what we bought in 2024

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Traitors presenter Claudia Winkleman’s chunky knitwear and tartan clothing influences fans, reports Hobbycraft, which sees online sales of its knitted jumper patterns rise by 96% compared to the previous period. June England’s progression through the Euros tournament sees football fans driving beer sales up by an average of 13% on the days that the team play compared with the same day in the previous week. Between June 7 and June 22 – the first UK leg of her tour – searches for girls’ sequin dresses shoot up 357% on the year at John Lewis, while sequin skirt searches jump 98%. A cucumber salad recipe from Logan Moffitt is so popular that farmers in Iceland struggle to keep up with demand Wingstop announces it was to open six more shops this year, adding 300 new jobs to its 2,500-strong workforce, while McDonald’s says it plans to open more than 200 restaurants across the UK and Ireland over the next four years, its largest expansion programme for more than 20 years.