A MIXED bag of results are in store for the City next week, with reports due from steel maker Corus, supermarket firm Iceland and ferry group P&O.

Full-year figures from Kingfisher on Wednesday will be the last in its current form, as the group is set to either demerge or sell its Woolworths-to-Superdrug general merchandise division by the second quarter this year.

The City will be keen for an update on the demerger, while a trade sale of Superdrug could be announced.

Over the year, pre-tax profit forecasts have been reduced following worries on gross margin pressures, capital expenditure increases and e-commerce costs. Profits are now forecast to come in at £600m, against £720m last time, broker Gerrard said.

Corus's announcement last month to axe more than 6,000 jobs after being hit by lack of growth in UK demand and the weak euro, will overshadow results on Thursday.

Gerrard is forecasting full-year pre-tax losses of £1.1bn, against a loss of £311m last time, as a result of charges relating to restructuring.

The focus will be on Corus's outlook for the business, its markets and pricing in the future.

Supermarket group Iceland's second set of interim figures on Thursday will include six months contribution from cash and carry firm Booker. Pre-tax profits are expected to come in at £45m.

Ports and ferry group P&O's figures on Thursday will be the first set since demerging P&O Princess Cruises last October.

Profits from property disposals are expected to be lower than the previous years, as are profits from its ferries division, reflecting higher fuel costs and the effect of the end of intra-EU duty free.

This will be offset however by higher profits from its ports, logistics and cargo shipping operations. Full year pre-tax profits are forecast to come in at £240m against £245m last time.

Builders' and plumbers' merchant Wolseley is expected to report a strong set of results despite a significant fall in the price of lumber, bad weather and a softer housing market.

Figures are expected to be buoyed by its US operations, which account for 60 per cent of profits. Pre-tax profits for the half year, released on Tuesday, are forecast to come in at £156m, against £150.3m last time.

l Companies reporting next week:

MONDAY: Finals - Biofocus, Bovis Homes Group, Brake Bros, Candover Investments, Emblaze Systems, Fairey Group, Heywood Williams, IMI, Infobank International Holdings, Knowledge Support Systems.

Interims: Mission Testing.

TUESDAY: Finals - Abbot Group, Aegis Group, Asda Property Holdings, Axon Group, C D Bramall, Charter, Millennium and Copthorne, Pharmagene, Relyon Group, Retail Decisions, Taylor Woodrow, The Morgan Crucible Company.

Interims: Wolseley.

WEDNESDAY: Finals - Carillion, Celltech Group, Clydeport, Computacenter, Financial Objects, Intercare Group, Litho Supplies, Kingfisher, Patsystems, Tilbury Douglas, Trafficmaster, Wyevale Garden Centres.

THURSDAY: Finals -Alfred McAlpine, Alkane Energy, Churchill China, Corus Group, Highcroft Investments, Itouch, Management Consultants, Oxford Glycosciences, P&O, Roxboro Group, Trinity Mirror.

Interims: Indigovision Group (Q2), Kier Group