(Updates futures, adds company news items)
Oct 13 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening down 20-25 points, or 0.3-0.4 percent, on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures .FFIc1 down 0.11 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* The UK blue chip index closed 0.7 percent lower at 7,024.01 points on Wednesday, partly hurt by currency moves which weighed on some of its global companies. UNILEVER: Price increases helped Unilever ULVR.L report a smaller-than-expected slowdown in third-quarter sales on Thursday. SKY: European pay-TV group Sky SKYB.L reported a 5 percent rise in underlying revenue in its first quarter, in line with its expectations in a year when it is paying higher costs for the premium soccer and entertainment content it offers. BOOKER GROUP: Booker Group Plc BOK.L , Britain's biggest cash-and-carry wholesaler, said tobacco sales for the 24 weeks to Sept. 9 were down 5.6 percent, hurt by a ban on small stores displaying tobacco products. SPORTS DIRECT: Sports Direct SPD.L said its chief financial officer had quit to take up a new job, the second management change in less than a month at the British retailer which is trying to mend its battered image. HARGREAVES LANSDOWN: British fund supermarket Hargreaves Lansdown HRGV.L said assets under administration rose 9.5 percent in the three months to end-September, buoyed by market gains, although the pace of new business had slowed as investor sentiment waned. JUPITER FUND: Jupiter Fund Management JUP.L posted a nine percent rise in assets under management in the third quarter on Thursday, helped by market and currency movements. TI FLUID SYSTEMS: Auto parts maker TI Fluid Systems IPO-TIFU.L said on Thursday it had decided not to proceed with its initial public offering (IPO) in London at the current time, citing market conditions. ARBUTHNOT: Arbuthnot Banking Group Plc ARBB.L warned on Thursday the net interest margin at its commercial banking unit would fall in the short term due to the Bank of England's base rate cut following Britain's vote to leave the European Union in June. TESCO: Tesco TSCO.L , Britain's biggest grocery chain, has pulled dozens of Unilever ULVR.L UNc.AS brand products from its website after a disagreement over prices in the wake of a partly Brexit-driven slump in the British currency. SHELL: Japanese refiner Idemitsu Kosan Co Ltd 5019.T is likely to delay its planned acquisition of Showa Shell Sekiyu 5002.T , due to fierce opposition from the Idemitsu founding family, people familiar with the matter said. RDSA.L BHP BILLITON: BHP Billiton BHP.AX , BLT.L is preparing to return to full production at its Olympic Dam copper mine after regaining full electric power, the last of the big industrial sites in southern Australia to restart after a massive blackout two weeks ago. HARGREAVES LANSDOWN: Fund supermarket Hargreaves Lansdown HRGV.L said on Wednesday it had written to the British government to protest about the potential exclusion of retail investors from the sale of its remaining stake in Lloyds Banking Group LLOY.L . BRITISH AIRWAYS: The chief executive of British Airways said the airline would oppose any move by its main airport, Heathrow FERHT.UL , to raise its charges if the London hub is given permission to expand. ICAG.L BRITAIN HOUSING: British house prices rose for a second month in September and enquiries from buyers picked up for the first time since February, suggesting the housing market has weathered the initial shock of the Brexit vote, a survey showed. EX-DIVS: Centrica Plc CNA.L will trade without entitlement to its latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 0.8 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations BREXIT: Britain's financial services sector will be a "high priority" for the government when it negotiates the terms of Britain's new relationship with the European Union, the most senior official in the country's finance ministry said. OIL PRICE: Oil prices fell on Thursday after OPEC said its production had risen to the highest level in at least eight years and following reports of an increase in U.S. crude stockpiles. O/R
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