The Telegraph reported that Britain’s rush to buy tablet computers has sparked a surge in sales for Dixons Retail, the owner of Currys and PC World.

The retailer said that UK like-for-like sales rose by 9pc in the six months to the end of October, despite consumers remaining under pressure.

The growth in sales means that Dixons posted underlying pre-tax profits in the first-half of its financial year for the first time in six years.

And that’s how badly UK consumers want their tablet fix. Enough to turn around a company’s fortunes.