UPDATE 2-Slovene Gorenje posts 9-mo loss, rebound in Q3
* 9-mo net loss of 14.6 mln eur vs 15.4 mln profit in 2008
* Sales in Q3 6 pct higher than in Q2
* Nine month sales down 12.7 pct from last year
* Share price down 1.61 pct
(Releads with new detail from company statement)
LJUBLJANA, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Slovenia's largest household appliances maker, Gorenje (GORE.LJ), said on Thursday it had posted a nine-month net loss of 14.6 million euros, but had returned to a profit in the third quarter.
The company, Slovenia's second largest-exporter, said it was encouraged by a third quarter in which demand and sales had picked up, helping Gorenje to a 3.4 million euros net profit. It gave no comparatives for the 2008 third-quarter net profit.
"In the third quarters, sales rose most notably in Eastern and South-East Europe," it said in a statement, adding that sales in Western Europe continued rising but market conditions remained very difficult.
Sales in the third quarter reached 298 million euros and were 6 percent higher than in the second quarter of this year. Overall, January-September sales of 866 million euros were still down 12.7 percent from 992 million in the same period of 2008.
"Results show that we have already reached a positive level of the operating business result despite conditions which are still difficult, and we will continue this trend in the future," chief executive Franjo Bobinac said in a statement.
Gorenje, which cut the working week in response to the global crisis earlier this year, returned to full time in the third quarter, which it said was "a response to new orders placed with our sales department".
Gorenje, which exports 93 percent of its output, has been badly hit by the crisis and shrinking demand.
In August it reported a half-year net loss of 18 million euros. [ID:nLP634612]
Gorenje shares were down 1.61 percent to 12.8 euros on Thursday, while the blue-chip SBI index .SBI lost 0.46 percent. ($1=.6734 Euro) (Reporting by Marja Novak in Ljubljana, editing by Zoran Radosavljevic and Will Waterman)
