MARKS & Spencer boss Marc Bolland's strategy for reviving clothing sales will come under fresh scrutiny when the company issues a trading update next week.

M&S, which updates on trading for the three months to the end of March on Thursday, has seen clothing sales squeezed by heavy discounting and weak consumer sentiment.

Analysts expect the prolonged cold spell to have added to the woes of Britain's biggest clothing retailer, by hitting sales of its spring/summer range.

A consensus of 11 analysts expect underlying general merchandise sales to slide by 4.5% in the fourth quarter – with some expecting a 6% fall.

Analysts at Shore Capital said M&S is likely to have endured a "horrible" fourth quarter in general merchandise.

The City expects like-for-like food sales to grow 3% between January and March, with overall group profits set to be around £660 million later this spring.

Half-year figures from books and stationery retailer WH Smith should show continued resilience as the group continues to prize profits over revenues.

Despite the high street's woes, interim results on Thursday are expected to continue the chain's positive momentum, with its focus on opening sites at travel hubs while cutting costs proving a winning combination.

Brokerage Cantor Fitzgerald expects pre-tax profits to grow 3% to £67.8 million for the six months to the end of February, with the higher growth travel arm supporting the cash cow of the high street business.

Full-year profits are expected to come in at £107m, according to a poll of 14 analysts supplied by the company. That would mark the ninth consecutive year of profits growth for the retailer.

Low profit margins drove the company away from the entertainment market over the past few years but – after the closure of more than 100 HMV stores – DVDs and CDs are making a comeback in some WH Smith outlets.

The recent icy weather is set to have provided a boost to retailer Halfords, with car maintenance sales expected to have surged in its final quarter.

This year's early Easter is also likely to have helped increase sales for the car parts and bicycle group in a welcome fourth-quarter fillip as its turn-around gathers momentum.

Retail analyst Kate Calvert at Cantor Fitzgerald is forecasting Wednesday's update to show like-for-like sales growth picking up to 0.8% in the three months to the end of March, from 0.4% in the third quarter. Halfords, which has 460 stores in the UK and Ireland, upgraded its full-year profit guidance in January after solid Christmas trading, pencilling in between £68m and £72m, compared with previous expectations of £66m to £70m.

Most analysts are expecting profits at the top end of the range, at £72m, but it would still mark a 22% plunge on the £92.2m recorded the previous year.

New chief executive Matt Davies will unveil his plans to return the group to profits growth alongside annual results on May 23.

Mothercare is expected to reveal sales remaining under pressure in its fourth-quarter update on Thursday as the babycare retailer struggles to get its turnaround off the ground.

The group saw UK same-store sales drop 5.9% in the 13 weeks to January 12 after a difficult Christmas for the group as it faced strong competition from online retailer Amazon and the supermarkets.

While the sales decline is expected to have eased slightly, Cantor Fitzgerald's Ms Calvert is predicting sales to have remained firmly in the red, down 1.7% in the final three months. She expects inter-national sales growth to have held firm at 12%, although tough conditions in Europe will have held back progress.

She added that Mothercare's revival plan is overly optimistic and is likely to take longer than three years

However, Mothercare chief executive Simon Calver, who was brought in to lead a turn-around plan involving store closures and a revamp of its website, insisted in January its strategy was on track.

Oil giant BP will face investors at its annual meeting on Thursday after falling profits and a mounting bill for the fatal Gulf of Mexico oil platform explosion in 2010.

The group reported an 18% fall in 2012 profits, to $17.6 billion (£11.7bn), after it said the cumulative cost of the Deepwater Horizon disaster had reached $42.2bn. But the group may face yet more financial pain after a New Orleans court ruling meant BP may have to pay billions of dollars more in compensation to victims.

BP plans to appeal, but it heaps yet more pressure on the group as it stands trial accused of gross negligence prior to the accident which killed 11 workers and caused the worst oil spill in US history.

Pay may also remain an issue at the annual meeting, after BP chief executive Bob Dudley was handed $2.67m in salary and bonuses last year.

The group saw 11% of shareholder votes made against its pay report at last year's annual meeting after Mr Dudley was awarded an annual bonus of $850,000 for 2011.

However, the firm's recent annual report revealed his overall pay fell by 21% in 2012 after he did not receive performance shares.

There was also some cheer recently for investors after BP set aside £5.3bn for shareholders as part of an immediate return from the reshaping of the oil giant's Russian business.

Under a transaction struck in October, BP sold its 50% stake in TNK-BP to Russia's Rosneft for $12.48bn in cash and Rosneft shares. It now owns 19.75% of Rosneft.