March 5 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is

seen opening lower on Tuesday, with futures down 0.41%

* SPIRENT: Communications ( SPNUF ) equipment firm Viavi Solutions ( VIAV )

agreed to buy telecommunications testing firm Spirent

Communications ( SPNUF ) in a deal valued at about 1.01 billion

pounds ($1.28 billion).

* TRAVIS PERKINS: Britain's biggest supplier of building

materials Travis Perkins reported a

39% drop

in annual profit due to weakness in the housing market.

* IWG: Global office rental firm IWG reported a

34% jump

in annual core profit and forecast 2024 earnings in line

with its expectations.

* FOXTONS GROUP: Estate agent Foxtons Group

posted a

marginal rise

in its annual profit.

* HISCOX ( HCXLF ): Lloyd's of London insurer Hiscox ( HCXLF )

posted a

record annual profit

and said retail outlook for 2024 was positive.

* GREGGS ( GGGSF ): British food-to-go retailer Greggs ( GGGSF ) said it

expected another year of growth in 2024 after it posted a 13%

rise in profit last year.

* REACH: Reach, the publisher of Britain's Daily Mirror

and Daily Express, reported a 9% drop in

annual adjusted operating profit

.

* CAR REGISTRATIONS: New car registrations in Britain

rose

more than 10%, a preliminary industry data showed.

* CONSUMER SPENDING: British consumer spending slid in

February as bad weather kept shoppers at home, according to a

survey by British Retail Consortium that showed households

remained cautious to spend in the face of high borrowing costs

and inflation.

* WINDFALL TAX: British finance minister Jeremy Hunt is set

to announce a one-year extension of a windfall levy on energy

firms' profits in this week's budget, industry sources briefed

on the move said.

* OIL: Oil prices fell for a second day on Tuesday.

* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please

click on:

TODAY'S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times

> Other business headlines

($1 = 0.7890 pounds)

(Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar and Zainab Saifuddin Saifee in

Bengaluru)