A clutch of financial results from major UK companies is likely to be overshadowed by the Bank of England's quarterly inflation report on Wednesday.

Retailers are again in the spotlight, with analysts looking for further signs of economic slowdown dampening consumer spending.

Figures from the British Retail Consortium are expected to confirm that retail sales are down on last year but spending on the high street is expected to have shown a slight improvement last month.

Investors will be focused on financial results when television company BSkyB reports third quarter figures on Tuesday.

The third quarter is traditionally slower for Sky due to seasonality with fewer new subscribers choosing to sign up after the strong Christmas.

Energy group BG has a hard act to follow when it releases first quarter results on Tuesday given the dramatic profits figures from BP and Shell in recent weeks.

Rail operator FirstGroup was sorely disappointed last month when the Strategic Rail Authority left if off a three-strong shortlist to run the new Greater Anglia franchise.

But disappointment aside, its trading statement a few days before pointed to a solid performance ahead of its full-year results announcement due out on Wednesday.

The group said it expected underlying profits to be in line with expectations which analysts at Merrill Lynch put at between £155m and £160m.

Investors hoping for news on the takeover of Safeway are likely to be disappointed when the supermarket reports full year results on Thursday.

Analysts at stockbroker Gerrard are predicting pre-tax profits will have slipped to £335m from £355m last year.

Fourth quarter results for the group released in April showed negative like-for-like sales, albeit adjusted for Easter not being included in the same quarter as the previous year.

The company has already said it is expecting to achieve profits of £335m - which has prompted analysts to set their forecasts accordingly.

l Companies due to report results next week include:

MONDAY

Finals: Robert Wiseman Dairies

Interims: Diploma, Windsor

AGMs: Centrica, Fulmar, Merchants, Universe Group

EGMs: Anite, BsoftB

TUESDAY

Finals: Powderject Pharmaceuticals, Topps Tiles

Interims: Abacus Group, BG Group (Q1), BSkyB (Q3), International Power (Q1), Ultraframe

AGMs: Acambis, Fitzhardinge, Keller, Macfarlane, Next, Ottakar's

WEDNESDAY

Finals: FirstGroup

Interims: Dimension Data, Galen, Leeds Group

AGMs: Bunzl, Candover, Carillion, Churchill China, CLS Holdings, Derwent Valley, Gallaher, Imprint Search & Selection, Nichols, Royal & Sun Alliance, Swallow Field, Swan Hill, Taylor Nelson Sofres, TT Electronics

THURSDAY

Finals: Bank of Ireland, London Stock Exchange, Safeway

Interims: Avon Rubber, BOC Group, Capital Radio, Fulcrum Pharma

AGMs: Balfour Beatty, British Polythene, Brixton, Future Network, Inchcape, Intertek Testing, North Midland Construction, Peel Hotels, Quarto Group, Selfridges, Thales, Weir

EGMs: Guinness Peat

FRIDAY

Finals: 3i Group

Interims: Cambridge Antibody Technology

AGMs: Galahad Capital, Hilton, Host Europe, Itouch, Mallett, Old Mutual