Cadbury Schweppes is tomorrow expected to outline plans of a £300 million austerity drive in a trading update.

Todd Stitzer, the chief executive of the Dairy Milk maker, is reportedly considering a fresh round of factory closures and job cuts at the global group, which is based in Bournville, Birmingham.

The firm will also update on the proposed separation of its £8 billion US drinks business, which makes Dr Pepper and 7-Up. Mr Stitzer said earlier this year that Cadbury would look at ways to split the operation from the confectionery division, fuelling expectations of a return to cash to shareholders.

It is likely Cadbury has already received offers for the US business.

The group sold another batch of businesses earlier this month and aims to raise £250 million from disposals by the end of the year. The biggest deal involved the sale of operations in Australian jams, toppings and jellies, including the licence to use the Cottee's and Rose's brands, to H J Heinz for 70 million Australian dollars (£29 million).

At a trading level, analysts will be looking for signs of improvement from the company, which underwhelmed in February with a nine per cent rise in annual profits hampered by weak margins and the £30 million cost of a salmonella scare. The company also owns the Halls, Trident and Trebor brands, and employs more than 70,000 people worldwide.

Investors will be scanning mortgage giant Bradford & Bingley's trading update on Thursday for signs of a potential slowdown in its key buy-to-let business.

Record levels of lending helped the firm post an eight per cent rise in profits for 2006, with 20 per cent growth in

B&B's buy-to-let business pushing its performance beyond analysts' expectations.

The firm's other specialist business, self-certified mortgages, also grew by 46 per cent, outstripping mainstream mortgage growth.

But four increases in interest rates since last August are likely to take an increasing toll on the business with chief executive Steven Crawshaw telling the firm's annual meeting in April that higher borrowing costs were "beginning to dampen demand".

He added, however, that the fundamentals of the market remained "very sound" and expects mortgage lending to remain at high levels.

At pubs and leisure group Whitbread, shareholders will be hoping for cheer in the form of a payout after the company agreed the £925 million sale of its David Lloyd Leisure chain earlier this month.

The move should enable the group to focus on its hotel, restaurants and coffee shops through Premier Travel Inn, the Brewers Fayre and Beefeater restaurant chains and the Costa Coffee brand.

After the firm missed out in its bid to buy the Jury's Inn chain, analysts at ABN Amro and Investec predict that the firm could be in a position to return £1 billion to shareholders.

In a trading update at Whitbread's annual meeting on Wednesday, investors will also expect to see evidence of the "continuing momentum" reported by chief executive Alan Parker in April.