UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Jan 10

(Adds company news items and futures)

Jan 10 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 12 points lower at 6,895 on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures down 0.47 percent ahead of the cash market open.

* TESCO: Tesco TSCO.L , Britain's biggest retailer, beat forecasts with a 2.2 percent rise in like-for-like sales in Britain for the key Christmas period, saying it outperformed the market in food, clothing and general merchandise. MARKS & SPENCER: Britain's Marks & Spencer MKS.L suffered another quarter of falling underlying sales in both clothing and food, underscoring its long and uncertain road to recovery. DEBENHAMS: British department store Debenhams DEB.L said it was in talks with lenders and looking to bring new sources of funding into the business as it reported weak Christmas trading. RATHBONE BROTHERS: British wealth manager Rathbone Brothers RAT.L said assets in its core investment management arm fell 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter on the back of increased market volatility. JOHN LEWIS PARTNERSHIP: John Lewis Partnership, Britain's biggest department store operator, said its sales rose 1.4 percent to 2.2 billion pounds ($2.8 billion) in the seven weeks to Jan. 5 but said it still expected full-year profits to fall substantially. ROBERT WALTERS: British recruiter Robert Walters Plc RWA.L said on Thursday its fourth-quarter net fee income rose 13 percent, boosted by strong hiring in Asia Pacific and Europe. B&M: B&M European Value Retail SA BMEB.L said sales rose 12.1 percent in the third quarter on robust demand in December. BANK OF GEORGIA: Bank of Georgia Group Plc BGEO.L named Archil Gachechiladze as chief executive officer, replacing Kaha Kiknavelidze who will step down at the end of the month, the company said on Thursday. JUPITER FUND MANAGEMENT: Jupiter Fund Management JUP.L posted 1.5 billion pounds ($1.92 billion) of net outflows in the last three months of 2018, and blamed downbeat markets for most of a 5 billion-pound fall in assets under management to 42.7 billion pounds. MITCHELLS & BUTLERS: British pub operator Mitchells & Butlers Plc MAB.L on Thursday reported a 9.8 percent rise in comparable sales for the three-week holiday season, but warned about the ongoing uncertainty around Brexit. PREMIER OIL: Britain's Premier Oil PMO.L cut debt to $2.3 billion at the end of 2018, below a previous forecast of $2.4 billion, it said in a trading update on Thursday. CARD FACTORY: Greetings card retailer Card Factory Plc CARDC.L warned of flat core earnings for the full year, as it struggles to cope with higher costs, lower traffic and competition from online players. HALFORDS GROUP: British bicycles-to-car parts retailer Halfords Group Plc HFD.L warned on Thursday that consumer confidence could remain weak into next year, hitting its operating profit. MAN GROUP: Kuwait's Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS) said on Wednesday it had filed a lawsuit against UK asset manager Man Group Plc EMG.L and its subsidiaries. DEBENHAMS: A group of lenders to Debenhams Plc DEB.L has hired FTI Consulting to advise on restructuring of the British department store group, Sky News reported on Wednesday. EX-DIVS: BHP Group BHPB.L will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend pay-out on Thursday, trimming 6.6 points off the FTSE 100 according to Reuters calculations. GOLD: Gold prices held near seven-month highs on Thursday as the dollar was pressured by rising expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve will keep interest rates steady this year, while investors also waited for further news on Sino-U.S. trade talks. OIL: Oil prices fell by 1 percent on Thursday on swelling U.S. supply, although the mood in global markets was increasingly confident amid hopes the United States and China may soon end trade disputes that have undermined global economic growth. The UK blue chip index closed 0.7 percent higher at 6906.63 on Wednesday, on hopes of an end to the U.S.-Sino trade row and as a positive update from Taylor Wimpey (LON: TW ) gave a much-needed boost to house-builders. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets

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