Sainsbury's is expected to see sales slip again when the supermarket updates on quarterly trading on Wednesday though it appears to be doing better than rivals.

Analysts at Deutsche Bank expect the retailer to post second quarter like-for-like sales down 1.2 per cent, as fierce supermarket competition continues to push prices down across the industry. It forecasts Sainsbury's total sales will edge up 0.3 per cent.

Sainsbury's previously reported a 2.1 per cent drop in same store sales excluding fuel in the 12 weeks to June 6, the sixth straight quarter of decline.

But recent data suggests its sales performance is in better shape than big rivals Tesco, Morrisons and Asda. All four are battling for market share amid the growing threat from discounters Aldi and Lidl.

Latest till roll figures from Kantar Worldpanel for the 12 weeks to September 13 showed Sainsbury's was the only one of the big four to record growth.

Total sales rose 0.9 per cent with Sainsbury's attracting 250,000 new shoppers through its doors, while it held its market share at 16.2 per cent.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said that the supermarket's growth was aided by the continued expansion of its Sainsbury's Local outlets.

Brokers at Bernstein said that the firm's current performance makes it "comfortably the best performer of the Big Four" on year-on-year growth comparison.

But this still leaves it facing a tough few years ahead. Analysts forecast Sainsbury's will post full-year underlying earnings of £653 million next spring, around 16 per cent lower than a year ago.

HSBC's David McCarthy said in a recent note: "We now expect profits to fall for the next three years as Sainsbury's and the industry corrects strategic mistakes over pricing and expansion made over much of the last seven or eight years."

During this time supermarkets let prices drift higher and built too many large out of town superstores as customers began to favour high street or online shopping.

Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe, who took over from long-standing predecessor Justin King last July, unveiled a wide-ranging plan to fight back in November which included price cuts to 1,100 items and improvements in quality to 3,000 own-brand products.

Transport operator FirstGroup will update the market on Friday on the progress of its plans to boost its bus division to make up for shortfalls at its rail business, which has lost a series of franchises.

The Aberdeen-based group is in the middle of ''advancing cost efficiency plans'' for the bus division including ''a number of changes to our depot portfolio'' as it targets higher profit margins.

It currently runs around 6,300 buses in 40 regional towns and cities - such as Leeds, Edinburgh and Colchester - from around 70 depots, servicing 1.7 million passengers a day.

But bus restructuring work has been complicated by a combination of squeezed local authority budgets and a programme of extensive roadworks in a number of major urban areas that have caused delays.

Last month rival Go-Ahead said that it had seen disruption in its key bus markets in London, Brighton and Oxford.

Brokers at Nomura said: "Roadworks have also been a factor in limiting top-line expansion in UK regional bus, while the same can be said of London buses, where extensive roadworks have led to congestion and a considerable reduction in quality incentive income."

FirstGroup now operates only one significant rail franchise, Great Western.

It has lost its Caledonian Sleeper franchise to Serco, failed in its bid to win the Essex Thameside business - retained by National Express - and seen its Capital Connect contract in London become swallowed up as part of the larger Thameslink franchise, which was awarded to Govia.

The group also lost out on the lucrative East Coast line, which was won by Stagecoach and Virgin.

However, FirstGroup has been shortlisted for two new franchises, TransPennine and Greater Anglia.

Analysts at Investec said: "We also expect the group to target new rail franchises over the next two to three years, potentially pushing FirstGroup's market share of UK Rail closer to its long run average."

FirstGroup has come under pressure from US activist investor Sandell Asset Management to sell its US operations - including Greyhound and First Student yellow school buses - to raise funds to repay debt and expand its UK rail and bus business.

Retailer Topps Tiles is set to benefit from rising consumer wages, new stores and a product revamp when it posts its annual results on Wednesday.

The Leicester-based firm, which runs 348 stores, is expected to see full-year pre-tax profit jump 19 per cent to £20.4m, as it introduces upmarket boutique stores and launches more natural stone tiles and wood flooring.

It launched its latest boutique store in Muswell Hill in London earlier this month.

Will Barreda, operations manager at Topps Tiles, said: "We're renowned for our large edge-of-town formats, but this new format store aims to bring the best of the Topps Tiles product range to the high street, making the brand even more accessible to home improvement enthusiasts."

The firm launched its boutique stores last January, aimed at bringing a sample of its product range from its large suburban outlets to high street stores.

Brokers at Peel Hunt said: "New boutique store trials continue to progress well and the business appears to be delivering increasing momentum in retail standards and product development."

In July the country's biggest biggest tile and wood flooring specialist posted strong third quarter like-for-like sales growth of 5.9%, with the improvement expected to have extended to into the full-year as wages continue to rise and the housing market remains brisk.

Analysts at Liberum said: "We see the positive outlook continuing driven by real wage growth, strong house prices and rising employment with a possible benefit from pensions draw down to come."

Topps Tiles opened its first store in Manchester in 1963, before becoming a public company in 1997.