Adds new items, updates futures
Jan 23 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening lower on Friday, with futures FFIc1 down 0.1%.
* SSP: SSP Group SSPG.L reported strong first-quarter sales and reiterated its annual forecast.
* BABCOCK: Babcock BAB.L said that its chief executive David Lockwood will retire by the end of 2026.
* SHELL: Shell SHEL.L is considering a sale of its assets in Argentina's Vaca Muerta shale play and has approached potential buyers in recent weeks to gauge their interest, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
* SHELL: Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has approved targeted, investment-linked incentives for Shell's SHEL.L Bonga South West deepwater oil project, Tinubu's office said.
* BEN & JERRY’S: Ben & Jerry’s years‑long struggle to defend its progressive mission from parent‑company pressure escalated this week, as The Magnum Ice Cream Company MICCT.AS accused the brand’s former board chair of misconduct.
* RETAIL: British retail sales rose unexpectedly last month, helped by strong online sales, according to data published on Friday.
* TECH DEMAND: Global demand for smartphones, personal computers and gaming consoles is expected to shrink this year as companies from Britain's Raspberry Pi RPI.L to HP Inc HPQ.N raise sticker prices to offset surging memory chip costs.
* OIL: Oil prices rebounded on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump renewed threats against major Middle Eastern producer Iran.
* METALS: Copper prices firmed amid supply concerns after miner Capstone Copper and a local union said a strike forced a production halt at the company's Chilean Mantoverde mine.
* GOLD: Gold notched another record high, powered by diminishing confidence in U.S. assets on account of geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: LIVE/
TODAY'S UK PAPERS> Financial Times PRESS/FT> Other business headlines PRESS/GB
(Compiled by Neeshita Beura in Bengaluru)
((Neeshita.Beura@thomsonreuters.com))
