BEER and food will be the order of the week as brewery group Scottish & Newcastle and supermarkets, including frozen food retailer Iceland, announce results.

It has been a big year for Scottish & Newcastle, which underwent a massive restructuring to emerge as a pure brewing group.

Stockbroker Gerrard is forecasting a jump in year-end pre-tax profits, from £409m a year ago to £435m, when it announces its results on Tuesday.

The group still has a range of pubs waiting to be sold and the City will no doubt be eager for an update on their disposal.

Supermarket Somerfield publishes its final results on Tuesday and is expected to report flat losses - £14.4m compared to £14.5m a year ago.

The group has seen tough times since its merger three years ago with Kwik Save, as well as being hit by tough competition from bigger, price-slashing rivals.

Pharmaceutical group PowderJect is expected to report a year-end loss on Tuesday as it continues to pour money into research and development.

Losses are expected to shrink slightly, however, from £18.6m a year ago to £16.8m.

Electrical retailer Dixons, which publishes its final results on Wednesday, has already reported slowing sales during the second half of the year.

Stockbroker Gerrard says the retailer has been hit, not only by competition from rivals such as Comet, but slowing PC and mobile phone markets as well.

Pre-tax profits are still expected to be up - from £263.7m a year ago to £270m.

Frozen food retailer Iceland publishes its full-year profits on Wednesday. Analysts are predicting pre-tax profits to fall, from £65m 12 months ago to £40m. On Thursday, supermarket chain Budgens' year end results are forecast to show a rise in pre-tax profits, from £14.6m a year ago to £15.5m.

l Companies reporting next week:

MONDAY - Finals: Europower, Glotel, UBC Media Group, Weeks Group. Interims: I-DocumentSystems

TUESDAY - Finals: Coral Products, S&N, Druck Holdings, Mentmore Abbey, Powderject Pharmaceuticals, Propan Homes, Pura, Somerfield, Topnotch Health Clubs, Vega Group, Winchester Entertainment

WEDNESDAY - Finals: Anite Group, Dixons, Heiton Holdings, Iceland Group, Northgate, Reg Vardy. Interims: Alphameric, Kensington Group.

THURSDAY - Finals: Kleeneze, Budgens. Interims: Scoot.com (Q1), Snackhouse.

FRIDAY - No companies reporting.