SOME of the suppliers of the UK’s volume consumer goods will dominate the corporate agenda this week as Whitbread, Premier Foods and Debenhams due to post trading updates.
AstraZeneca’s new chief executive Pascal Soriot will unveil his first set of figures when the drugs giant updates on Thursday.
Mr Soriot started at the beginning of October, replacing David Brennan, who quit after a shareholder rebellion over pay and performance earlier this year.
Mr Kipling parent Premier Foods will reveal how it fared in recent trading after a first half that was boosted by its “Great British Fancies” campaign for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
The St Albans-based group saw a 2 per cent rise in interim sales of its eight frontline brands thanks in part to the launch of a patriotic range of Mr Kipling cakes and a major advertising push.
Its main brands - which also include Hovis bread, Bisto, Ambrosia and Loyd Grossman sauces - delivered a 3.2 per cent rise in half-year trading profits to £53.2m.
But the market will be keen for news on whether the summer of celebration surrounding the Olympics maintained strong sales in the group’s third quarter update on Tuesday.
Department store Debenhams reports full year results on Thursday after a resurgent performance in recent months.
The group ended its year on a high, reporting a 3.7 per cent hike in like-for-like sales excluding VAT in the 10 weeks to September 1.
The firm, which has 164 stores in the UK and Ireland, has seen shares rise more than 80 per cent in the past year as the group rolled out its turnaround plan.