Tesco defends Booker deal after profit beats forecasts

By James Davey and Paul SandleLONDON (Reuters) - Tesco , Britain's biggest retailer, beat forecasts for annual profit as its recovery gained pace, potentially strengthening the hand of boss Dave Lewis as he seeks investor backing for his plan to buy wholesaler Booker .Tesco wanted the results, published on Wednesday, to reinforce its case that it can make a success of buying Booker in a 3.7 billion pound deal which it argues will help to drive growth in the medium term.The supermarket group said