July 24 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 (.FTSE) index is seen opening 57 points lower at 6,155 on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.
RETAIL: British retail sales grew more strongly than expected in June and returned almost to their pre-lockdown level as non-essential stores in England reopened to the public in the middle of the month.
ASTRAZENECA: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved AstraZeneca's drug to treat patients with a form of lung disease.
CENTRICA: British Gas owner Centrica Plc (CNA.L) posted lower first-half earnings partly due to the coronavirus crisis and said it would sell its North American business, Direct Energy, to NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) for $3.63 billion in cash.
FERGUSON: Sales at plumbing supplier Ferguson's (FERG.L) main U.S. operations fell 9% year-on-year in April, before recovering to fall by just 0.6% for the May to July period.
VODAFONE: Vodafone (VOD.L), the world's second biggest mobile operator, said it would list its towers unit, Vantage Towers, in Frankfurt in early 2021.
PEARSON: British education company Pearson (PSON.L) swung to a first-half loss due to the impact of COVID-19, although it said it was on track to deliver adjusted operating profit broadly consistent with expectations as markets recovered.
IAG: British Airways owner International Airlines Group said it had signed a multi-year renewal agreement with American Express, extending its worldwide commercial partnership with the payments company.
NAKED WINES: Online wine seller Naked Wines said its sales surged 67% in June compared with last year as orders continued to rise even after the easing of Britain's coronavirus-induced lockdown.
CINEWORLD: Cineworld Group will delay reopening its movie theatres in the United States to mid-August, although it remains on track to welcome back movie-goers in Britain at the end of this month.
UNILEVER: Unilever's plan to split its tea operations has raised questions among analysts about how it will handle Lipton tea, a major brand that straddles both parts of the business.
ROLLS-ROYCE: Britain's Rolls-Royce was still considering all options for bolstering its balance sheet in the wake of the pandemic, CEO Warren East said on Thursday, as he highlighted progress on new technologies to drive future growth.
WIZZ AIR: Low-cost airline Wizz Air surged the European Union on Thursday to reinstate airport slot rules following a suspension that has allowed carriers to hold on to take-off and landing rights during the coronavirus crisis.
OIL: Oil edged up on Friday as the dollar fell to an almost two-year low, although demand concerns stemming from rising coronavirus cases and U.S.-China tensions kept a lid on prices.
GOLD: Gold was headed on Friday for its biggest weekly gain in more than three months, steadying near a nine-year high, as it benefited from a weak dollar and inflation expectations, fuelled by stimulus for virus-battered economies.
The UK blue-chip index (.FTSE) ended up 0.1% on Thursday, as barely staying positive as optimism over corporate earnings was offset by a discouraging U.S. jobs report and rising COVID-19 cases.
UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Airtel Africa Plc (AAF.L) Q1 earnings release
Pearson Plc (PSON.L) HY earnings release
IMI (LON:IMI) Plc HY earnings release
Centrica Plc (CNA.L) HY earnings release
Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L) Q1 trading statement
Ferguson Plc (LON:FERG) Pre-close trading statement
For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: LIVE/
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times PRESS/FT
> Other business headlines PRESS/GB