(Adds company news items, items)
Oct 2 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening down 35
points to 7,325 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers with futures
down 0.55% ahead of the cash market open.
* TOPPS TILES: Britain's biggest tile retailer Topps Tiles TPT.L on
Wednesday reported lower like-for-like sales for its final quarter, hit by
tougher economic conditions that has dampened consumer confidence. TESCO: Britain's biggest retailer TSCO.L said on Wednesday its chief
executive Dave Lewis will step down next summer and be succeeded by Ken Murphy,
an executive at Walgreens Boots Alliance WBA.O . STANDARD LIFE ABERDEEN: Veteran investor Martin Gilbert is stepping down
from the 500 billion pounds ($613.05 billion) fund firm SLA.L from September
2020, the company said on Wednesday, ending a career spanning more than three
decades in charge of one of Britain's most successful asset
managers. GOLD: Gold prices inched up on Wednesday, after rising as much as 1% in
the previous session, as dismal U.S. manufacturing data fanned fears of a sharp
global economic slowdown and stoked bets of further interest rate
cuts. OIL: Oil rebounded from several days of declining values after industry
data showed a surprise drop in U.S. crude inventories, offsetting weak economic
readings in the United States that have depressed global stock
markets. The UK blue chip index closed down 0.7% lower on Tuesday, reversing gains
from earlier in the day, coming under pressure following disappointing
manufacturing data from the United States that added to concerns about the
health of the global economy. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on:
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