B&Q owner Kingfisher is expected to report a drop in like-for-like sales for the chain when it posts a first quarter update on Thursday though analysts expect the performance of stablemate Screwfix should mean a solid performance for the overall group.

Brokers at Jefferies think B&Q will post a decline of 2% compared to a year ago, reflecting later Easter trading and waning popularity for DIY.

But Kingfisher's popular building supplies chain Screwfix, aimed at the trade, is expected to register same store sales up 10% as the housing market remained buoyant despite the build-up to the May general election.

In March Kingfisher said it would close as many as 60 B&Q stores over the next two years in a shake-up set to impact on up to 3,000 jobs in the UK and Ireland.

Kingfisher wants to cut about 15% of surplus space through the review of the 360-strong B&Q estate as Britons become less keen on DIY.

Staff at Southampton, Dundee, Baums Lane in Mansfield, Stetchford Road in Birmingham, Hyde in Greater Manchester and Barnsley have been told their stores are closing, but the locations of the other shops have not been disclosed.

Last year, rival DIY chain Homebase said it would close a quarter of its stores - about 80 outlets - in the period up to early 2018.

The changes at Kingfisher were announced as the company posted a 7.5% drop in annual profits to £675 million after sales fell by 1.4% to £11 billion in the year to January 31.

The performance was impacted by trading in France, where Castorama and Brico Depot were hit by the weak economy and low consumer confidence.

Chief executive Veronique Laury, who took over from Sir Ian Cheshire in December, said the UK and Ireland closure plan was one of a number of ''sharp'' decisions being taken by the FTSE 100 company.

Other plans include cutting back on some of the 393,000 products sold across the company, particularly as only 7,000 items - amounting to 7% of sales - are sold in at least two of Kingfisher's operating companies.

The company will also look to optimise vacant store space and is in discussions with several retailers about sub-letting opportunities.

Kingfisher has already agreed to sell a controlling stake in its loss-making China business as it looks to focus on its core European market.

There has even been speculation that the group might plan to phase out the B&Q brand name.

Brewin Dolphin analyst Nicla Di Palma said: "This new strategy makes sense. In the UK, Kingfisher over-expanded in the late 90s and early 2000s and now finds itself with too many stores and very long leases."

Cinema chain Cineworld is expected to have taken advantage of a strong run of blockbuster releases when it updates on trading next Tuesday.

Major films such as Avengers: The Age of Ultron and Fast & Furious 7 have helped push cinema admissions growth to 15.8% in March and April, from 3.5% in January and February, according to brokers at Numis.

Films such as Terminator Genisys and Mission Impossible Rogue Nation are expected to drive cinema admissions over the next three months, with the latest Bond film Spectre and Star Wars: Episode VII due later this year, as well as Jurassic World.

Cineworld, which has more than 100 sites under the Cineworld and Picturehouse brands, in March reported that annual profits for last year beat expectations jumping 73% to £75 million driven by last year's acquisition of Israeli-founded rival Cinema City.

The tie-up last February created a group that operates 1,880 screens across 205 sites, including in Israel and a number of countries in central Europe.

The group is led by industry veteran Mooky Greidinger, who has taken over as boss after previously being chief executive of Cinema City.

Peel Hunt analyst Nick Bartram said the annual figures reflected "both the quality of management and the benefits of an international footprint", adding: "We don't believe the business has ever been in better shape to maximise the opportunity presented by a strong film slate."

Last year while UK cinema admissions fell by around 6% due to a weak year for blockbuster films, Cineworld admissions were down only 3.7%, which was offset by a 4% rise in prices.

Brokers point to the broad range of films the chain shows through its multiplex and arthouse cinemas, its subscription card, and its investment in new sites, as a way of keeping above market trends.

The firm was also able to boost its retail sales by 6.3% per customer last year, reflecting its tie-up with coffee chain Starbucks.

During last year the company opened two new cinemas at St Neots and Telford. It added it had 10 further sites slated to open this year, including two Picturehouses, and a total of 23 cinemas scheduled to open over the next three years.