Investors in construction group Balfour Beatty, parent of West Midlands firm Mansell, will be hoping the group can repeat the success achieved last year when it posts interim results on Wednesday.

Profits for its last financial year came in at the top end of expectations and the group said at the time that its leading positions in a number of long-term growth markets were " encouraging" and offered opportunities for further growth.

No interim forecasts were available but full year profits are expected to come in at £160 million against £149.7 million last time, according to stockbrokers Bridgewell.

Balfour Beatty is no stranger to controversy.

It recently admitted breaching safety standards before the Hatfield train disaster in which four people died.

But it was formally cleared by an Old Bailey judge of a corporate manslaughter charge.

The 115mph crash took place on October 17 2000.

It is building the new £521 million, 1 , 230 - bed Birmingham Hospital Project in Selly Oak. The group earlier this year announced a five-year contract with Severn Trent Water worth approximately £60 million. Work includes maintaining water standard compliance, reducing leakage and delivering statutory and other improvements in water quality.

The company is also doing improvement work at Moor Street station in Birmingham.

Bridgewell said major organic drivers of the company's growth had been the maturing of its roads investments - Yorkshire Link and Connect Roads. It also highlighted the fact that it has branched out with new contracts in education and local authorities, including work for Birmingham City Council.

Retailer Carpetright will provide the latest insight into the strength of consumer confidence when it briefs investors at its annual meeting tomorrow.

Analyst Nick Bubb at Evolution Securities said he expected Carpetright to say that same-store sales were running five per cent lower in the UK. "This week's Carpetright AGM update will no doubt still be cautious, given the tough trading conditions in the furniture and carpets sector," he said.

Even if the second half showed some recovery, Carpetright would do well to post pretax profits of around £62 million for the full year.

Its report will be watched with interest by the Kidderminster carpet trade.

Carpets are coming under increasing pressure from wood floor manufacturers like Birmingham-based Floors 2 Go.

As for the general furniture trade, there is likely to be little cheer for the sector.

On Friday, a survey found the UK furniture market grew at its slowest rate in more than a decade last year as shoppers became increasingly reluctant to splash out on big purchases.

Furniture sales rose by just 3.1 per cent in 2004 - with traditional retailers the worst-hit as shoppers were won over by non-specialist rivals, market research group Verdict said.

The picture is not expected to be much different this year.