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Pernod Ricard third-quarter sales held back by tough China

A bottle of "ready-to-drink" pastis at a bar in Toulouse, in this November 9, 2001 file photo. REUTERS/Stringer/Files

PARIS (Reuters) - French spirits maker Pernod Ricard posted lower-than-expected third-quarter sales on Thursday, reflecting a still challenging Chinese market. The world's second-biggest spirits group, whose view on China appears to differ from the more upbeat tone of rivals such as Remy Cointreau , said it remained confident in the country's medium-term potential. Pernod Ricard posted sales of 1.855 billion euros (1.4 billion pounds) in the three months to March 31, up 1.0 percent year-on-year on a like-for-like basis and marking a slowdown from 4 percent growth in the second quarter. This was below the average of analysts' estimates of 1.3 percent growth in a Reuters poll. The owner of Mumm champagne, Absolut vodka and Martell cognac kept its forecast for underlying operating profit growth of between 1 percent and 3 percent in the full year to June 30. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by James Regan)