(Adds company news items and futures)
July 20 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening up 13 points on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 up 0.2 percent ahead of the cash market open
* UNILEVER: Unilever ULVR.L reported slightly weaker than expected quarterly sales on Thursday but reaffirmed its full-year target, as it works to move past the fallout from a rebuffed $143 billion takeover bid earlier this year. ANGLO AMERICAN: Global miner Anglo American AAL.L posted higher second quarter iron ore production on Thursday, leading it to raise its annual targets for the steel-making ingredient. EASYJET: British budget airline easyJet EZJ.L raised its profit outlook on Thursday after it filled more seats on its planes while keeping a tight grip on costs during the third quarter. BHP: Activist shareholder Elliott Management said it has deep concerns over a proposal by BLT.L to enter the currently over-supplied fertiliser market, reiterating its call for change at the mining giant. SSE: SSE SSE.L , Britain's second-biggest energy supplier, lost another 230,000 customer accounts in the three months to the end of June, the company said on Thursday. PREMIER FOODS: Premier Foods Plc PFD.L , owner of Mr Kipling cakes, Bisto gravy and other British brands, reported a drop in first-quarter sales on Thursday, due to lower sales volumes in the grocery category, an outcome it called in-line with its expectations. NICHOLS: Nichols Plc NICL.L , the maker of Vimto soft drinks, said on Thursday its half-year adjusted pretax profit rose 6.8 pct, driven by both the still and carbonate beverage segments. HOWDEN JOINERY: British kitchen supplier Howden Joinery HWDN.L reported higher revenue in the first half, despite wider concerns about weaker consumer confidence among Britons after the country voted to leave the European Union and held an inconclusive election. CENTRICA: Britain's largest energy supplier British Gas, owned by utility Centrica CNA.L , has paid a total of 1.1 million pounds ($1.4 million) to customers in compensation for missed or delayed appointments, the country's energy regulator said on Thursday. BHP BILLITON: Chilean authorities have approved a $2.5 billion expansion of BHP Billiton's BLT.L Spence copper mine, a local newspaper reported on Wednesday, though the company has not yet decided whether to go ahead with the project. CARILLION: Oxfordshire County Council, which last week ended much of a 10-year 500 million pound ($652 million) contract with Carillion CLLN.L , is now debating the future of a facilities management deal with the crisis-hit British construction firm. EX-DIVS: No FTSE 100 .FTSE companies will go ex-dividend on Thursday, although several mid-caps will go ex-div, after which investors will no longer qualify for the latest dividend payout. BREXIT: Barely more than one in 10 British companies has started to put Brexit contingency plans into effect as many firms remain unclear about what leaving the European Union will mean, a leading business organisation said on Thursday. OIL: Oil prices held steady on Thursday following solid gains the previous day when falling U.S. fuel inventories lifted the market. The UK blue chip index FTSE 100 .FTSE gained 0.6 percent and closed at 7,430.91 points on Wednesday, helped by a buoyant consumer goods sector after Reckitt Benckiser sold its food business, while housebuilders added to gains. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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