Chiquita Q3 loss narrows on strong banana demand

* Q3 loss/shr 13 cents

* Rev up 7 pct to $840 mln, beats Street

* Banana demand continues to be strong

* Moving European HQ (Reuters) - Banana distributor Chiquita Brands International Inc (CQB.N) posted a narrower third-quarter loss, helped by continued robust demand for bananas, higher prices and favorable average euro exchange rates. [nWNAB5426]

Supply constraints induced by bad weather in parts of Latin America have driven global demand for bananas, pushing prices up.

Chiquita's third-quarter net loss was $5.6 million, compared with $28.2 million a year earlier. The results for the latest third quarter include a gain 22 cents per share from repurchases of senior notes.

The company, which competes with Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc (FDP.N) and privately held Dole Food, reported a 13 percent rise in net sales at its bananas segment.

Chiquita also plans to relocate its European headquarters from Antwerp, Belgium, to Rolle, Switzerland -- a move that will affect about 100 employees in Antwerp. Chiquita has about 23,000 employees worldwide.

The company expects to take one-time costs related to the relocation in the range of $15 million to $25 million, of which about $5 million to $9 million will be recognized in the fourth quarter, and most of the remainder will be recognized in the first half of 2009.

The Cincinnati, Ohio-based company's shares, which have fallen 29 percent this year, closed at $13.51 Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Amitha Rajan in Bangalore; Editing by Pratish Narayanan)