Retailers will dominate the corporate arena again next week as updates from the likes of Dixons and Woolworths make up for a shortage of results.

With shoppers appearing to favour electrical items over jewellery at Christmas, expectations have been raised for resilient trading figures at Dixons and Currys owner DSG International when it reports results on Wednesday.

Deutsche Bank expects half-year profits of £94m, down from £122m last year, but with like-for-like sales at Dixons and Currys returning to positive territory over the second-half of the year.

The improvement at Dixons, Currys and its other European electrical businesses will be needed as Deutsche Bank has forecast continued weakness in the company's computing and communications division, with like-for-like sales at PC World estimated to be down three per cent and down five per cent at The Link.

Analysts will be looking for Tesco to maintain its sales performance at about 5.5 per cent when it reports Christmas sales on Tuesday.

The figure is lower than the 6.7 per cent seen at the start of last year, but reflects the stronger performance of Sainsbury's, the early signs of recovery at Morrisons and the price-cutting tactics of second-placed chain Asda.

Market analyst TNS recently raised hopes for another strong performance when it said that Tesco achieved a grocery share of 30.5 per cent, up ten per cent on a year earlier and well ahead of Asda at 16.7 per cent and Sainsbury's at 16.2 per cent.

Woolworths is scheduled to release a trading statement on Wednesday.

The company has more riding on Christmas than most - 80 per cent of sales are in this period - so chief executive Trevor Bish-Jones will be under pressure.

He told investors in September that Woolies would be aggressive on prices, at the same time as he revealed a 1.7 per cent drop in sales - an improved trend on the 4.4per cent fall seen previously.

Companies reporting results next week include:

Monday

Interims: Murgitroyd, Spice Holdings

Tuesday

Interims: Halladale, Pace Micro, PKL

Trading update: Tesco

Wednesday

Interims: Bespak, Dixons

Trading update: Logica CMG, Woolworths

Thursday

Finals: GW Pharmaceuticals

Trading update: Jessops, Kesa

Friday

EGMs: Bits Corp, Scott To