Jeronimo sees bigger consumption drop in Portugal

LISBON Oct 13 (Reuters) - Portuguese retailer Jeronimo Martins (JMT.LS) expects its operations at home to be more affected by an expected downturn in consumption next year than its business in Poland, its chairman said on Monday.

"We have to expect a sharp downturn in consumption next year with a greater impact on Jeronimo's operations in Portugal," Chairman Alexandre Soares dos Santos told journalists. "This year I don't expect an impact on consumption nor on (Jeronimo's) results."

Jeronimo is Portugal's second-largest retailer and in Poland it is the country's largest low-cost retailer. The strength of Jeronimo's operations in Poland has cheered investors this year, supporting its performance at a time of sharp economic slowdown at home.

Jeronimo has a goal of reaching consolidated revenue of 7 billion euros this year compared with 5.3 billion in 2007. (Reporting by Patricia Rua; Writing by Axel Bugge; Editing by David Holmes)