Companies reporting next week

Safeway chief executive Carlos Criado-Perez will need to be on his best form at the supermarket chain's final results on Wednesday when the group is forecast to post pre-tax profits of £354.8m, up 11%. Analysts want reassurance about the retailer's growth prospects given the disruption caused by its revamp. Disappointing fourth-quarter sales figures last month were blamed on the refurbishment. With more cash being invested in keeping prices keen, margin growth may also be weaker in coming months.

Ben Verwaayen's back-to-basics push as chief executive of BT means the major interest in Thursday's annual results will centre on cash generation, debt and cost-cutting. Profits will be distorted by various charges and write-downs, the disposal of Yell and demerger of mmO2. Fund manager Gerrard believes pre-tax profits will come in around £1.39bn, from £2.07bn a year ago.

Marconi's results are due on Thursday. They are likely to be bleak after the telecoms equipment firm's high profile problems in the past year. Pre-exceptional losses are likely to be around £678m, compared with profits of £662m last time. But one-offs could push the loss to more than £5bn. The City wants an update on the board's financial restructuring plans with its banks and bondholders. A debt-for-equity swap may be an option.

Gas transport group Lattice is changing its year end and will therefore post figures for the 15 months to 31 March on Tuesday. Analysts forecast pre-tax profits of £993m but as Lattice has already reported figures for 2001, the first three months of 2002 will be the period under scrutiny. Investors hoping for an update on Lattice's merger with National Grid are likely to be disappointed. The deal was only announced last month and analysts doubt Lattice will have much to add so soon afterwards.

Cable & Wireless warned in February that profits had been rocked by tough trading so the full-year update on Wednesday is unlikely to hold too many surprises. But it is likely to update investors on recently-acquired web hosting businesses, Digital Island and Exodus, and the group's outlook. Fund manager Gerrard forecasts losses of £651m, from profits of £3.39bn last time. Last year's figures were skewed by the inclusion of £3bn in disposal gains and this year C&W is changing the way it reports to include the web-hosting business.

Power generator British Energy posts final figures on Wednesday, and pre-tax profits are expected to increase from £10m to £32m. But the City is more worried about the outlook this year, given its exposure to weak wholesale electricity prices.