Retailers will set the tone for corporate news next week, with media and entertainment groups also due to report.

Woolworths is expected to show that its revival strategy is continuing to pay off when it announces full-year results next Wednesday.

The retailer is going through a recovery phase and is trialing new store formats and fresh product ranges in an effort to head off competition from supermarkets and other general retailers.

Pre-tax profits before goodwill and exceptionals are forecast to reach £67.4m, against £52.8m previously.

High street fashion chain Next shrugged off fears that the hot summer would hit sales when it delivered a six per cent rise in interim profits in September.

Analysts forecast pre-tax profits of £342m, compared with £301m last year.

Final results on Thursday are expected to show overall sales up 15.8 per cent, Next Directory sales ahead 15.4 per cent and like-for-like sales at stores up by 2.4 per cent.

Full-year results from House of Fraser should be solid rather than spectacular on Tuesday after the department store group experienced flat sales over the key Christmas trading period.

The owner of Army and Navy and Rackhams resisted the urge to launch price cuts on its designer products, meaning pre-tax profits in the 12 months to January 24 are likely to be little changed on the previous year's £26.5m.

Housebuilder Barratt Developments looks likely to build on its 11-year unbroken record of growth when it announces half-year figures next week.

Analysts expect the group to post interim pre-tax profits of £128m, up from £105m, when it updates investors on Wednesday.

Hit Entertainment, the company behind children's TV favourite Bob the Builder, is expected to show a dip in profits when it informs the market of its half-year performance on Monday.

Investors will be looking at whether a relaunch designed to revive Bob's popularity picked up flagging sales.

After a period in which the character became a leading consumer products brand, Hit said in October that sales had slipped as he reached maturity in the UK and US.

Pre-tax profits are forecast to fall to £23m from £25.5m previously.

Analysts are upbeat about building materials specialist Wolseley, despite its warning in January that the weak US dollar may lower sales by as much as £132.8m.

Results on Monday are expected to show pre-tax profits reached £255m, compared with £201m last time.

l Companies reporting results next week include:

Monday

Finals: Ashtenne, Churchill China, Collins Stewart Tullett, Ebookers, Enterprise, Forth Ports, Hiscox, John Laing, Venture Production, Triplearc

Interims: Hit Entertainment, Inventive Leisure, Kier Group, Aero Inventory

Tuesday

Finals: Alltracel Pharma, Beazley, Bloomsbury Publishing, Development Securities, House of Fraser, Intelligent Environment, Unite, Universe

Interims: Gleeson

Wednesday

Finals: Alkane Energy, Atlantic Global, Autologic Holdings, Bell, Brixton, CA Coutts Holdings, IQE, Music Choice Europe, Paladin Resources, Pilat Media, SVB Holdings, Taylor & Francis, Ted Baker, Tenon, Woolworths

Interims: Barratt Developments, LA Fitness

Thursday

Finals: Alpha Airports, Cape, Capital & Regional, Codascisys, Entertainment Rights, MTL Instruments, Next, Ottakar's, Rotork, S&U, Symphony Plastics, Thomson Intermedia

Friday

Finals: BATM Advanced Communications, Chelford, Harvey Nash

Interims: Sinclair Pharm