UTILITY giants and high technology firms will be in the spotlight next week as the reporting season gets into full swing after the summer break.

Plans by international exploration group BG, the business formed by the demerger of British Gas in 1997, to float off its Transco gas pipeline arm next month will dominate the group's half-year results on Thursday.

The flotation will see more than a million BG shareholders - many of them the original "Sids" from the time of British Gas's flotation - holding stakes in both companies.

Stockbroker Greig Middleton is forecasting pre-tax profits of £1.09bn, compared with £742m the time before.

Moves by Centrica, the other company formed by the splitting up of British Gas, to become a significant player in the telecoms market and move beyond its gas supplier heritage will be the focus of attention on Thursday.

In March Centrica - which also owns the AA breakdown service and Goldfish credit cards - said it had clinched a deal with Vodafone Group to set up mobile phone services.

Stockbroker Greig Middleton is forecasting pre-tax profits of £200m, against £220m last time.

lCompanies reporting next week:

MONDAY - Finals: Pizza Express, Lynx Printing Tech, Net Benefit. Interims: Marshalls, British Vita, Guardian IT, Wilson Connolly Holdings, Singer & Friedlander, Advanced Tech, Gioma Restaurant, Vitec Group, SDL, Motion Media.

TUESDAY - Finals: Iceland Group, Knowledge Management, Schroder Venture.

Interims: Abbot Group, BBA Group, British Regional Airlines, Churchill China, Communisis, CRH, Dawson International, Dragon Oil, George Wimpey, Magic Moments Internet, Marshalls, Meggitt, Old Mutual, Sema Group, Staffware, Unite Group, Dawson Oil, Microgen, WSP Group.

WEDNESDAY - Finals: Beazer Group, Logica.

Interims: Arriva, Avis Europe, James Beattie, Brammer, Holmes Place, RMC, Signet Group, Xpertise Group, Powergen, Independent News & Media, Glynwed Interenational, Gallaher Group, Vislink, Coats Viyella, Devro, Guiton Group, Myratech.net, Northern Leisure, Pittards.

THURSDAY - Finals: Diageo. Interims: BG Group, Hunting, Premier Farnell, AB Ports, Alfred McAlpine, Parity Group, Queens Moat Houses, RJB Mining, Scotia Holdings, Spirent, Trafficmaster, Wealth Management Software, Spirax-Sarco Engineering, Orchestream, MoneyExtra, Senior, John Laing, Kingspan Group, Johnson Services Group, S Daniels Group, Chelsfield, Centrica, Cairn Energy, Burford Holdings.

FRIDAY - Interims: Anglo American, Beeson Gregory, Go-Ahead Group, Rank.