Set-top box maker Pace Micro Technology - a supplier of set-top boxes to companies such as Telewest - warned investors just a month ago that it expected to report underlying losses of around £9 million for the first half of its financial year, after reporting profits of £3.1 million the previous year.
The group, based in Salt-aire, West Yorkshire, said around £3 million of the deficit was due to unexpected delays in shipments caused by industry-wide component shortages in November.
However, it said at the time that it remained confident of a solid performance in the next financial year and investors will want to know whether that is still the case when it posts interim results tomorrow.
Otherwise, retailers will this week again dominate the corporate arena 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 £94 million, down from £122 million last year, but with like-for-like sales at
Dixons and Currys returning to positive territory over the Christmas-focused 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 from the company's computing and communications division, with like-for-like sales at PC World estimated to be down by three per cent and off five per cent at The Link.
The preview note from Deutsche warned that price deflation in the computer market, weakening consumer confidence and greater margin pressure could yet derail hopes for the second half, which covers the period to May 1.
The final verdict on Dixons and Currys will be known only on Thursday when analysts get the chance to compare the performance with that of rival Comet, which is part of Europe-wide retailer Kesa Electricals.
Figures from Comet have hardly set the high street alight in recent months, but still looked favourable when compared with the continental part of Kesa as furniture chain BUT struggled for sales and Darty faced pressure on margins. The UK chain's third-quarter turnover for the three months to October 31 fell 0.8 per cent, down 3.1 per cent on a like-for-like basis, but this was an improvement on the first half of the year.
Its 249 branches have suffered from the sector-wide slump in demand for white goods.
Analysts will also be looking for Tesco to maintain its like-for-like sales performance at around 5.5 per cent when it reports Christmas sales tomorrow.
The figure is lower than the 6.7 per cent seen at the start of 2005, 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.
