* CFO says crisis not over, no recovery in sight yet
* Destocking continues, sees no return to pre-crisis levels
* On look out for acquisitions
* Keeps 2009 outlook, aims for 5.5 pct market share in 2010
* Shares up 0.4 percent
(Adds detail, background, share price)
By Eva Kuehnen and Jan Schwartz
HAMBURG, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Beiersdorf AG, maker of Nivea skin cream, will have to fight hard to reach the goals it set for next year as its markets remain in the doldrums and recovery is nowhere to be seen.
"I don't think we will see growth in our markets ... next year," Chief Financial Officer Bernhard Duettmann told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. "I'm not that euphoric."
Beiersdorf has been striving to reach a 5.5 percent share of the global cosmetics market by 2010 -- it had 4.9 percent last year -- and while it expects sales and profitability to fall this year, it aims to outperform the market in 2009.
Duettmann said markets would eventually return to pre-crisis growth levels, but he could not say when.
He expects unemployment to rise in the near term, particularly in Beiersdorf's home market Germany where it makes about a fifth of its consumer business sales with brands which also include Eucerin and La Prairie.
"So far we haven't felt the consumer crisis that much in Germany," Duettmann said.
Germany, Europe's biggest economy, emerged from recession in the second quarter but retail sales fell 2.6 percent in August, data showed last week. Economists expect unemployment to rise in coming months and to peak next year.
Consumers tend to spend less on home and personal care products as unemployment rises and peers like Procter & Gamble Co have reacted by offering more items at lower prices.
Beiersdorf has increased promotions for its lower-priced ranges and has started introducing high-quality products for the mass market. But it says it will steer clear of a price war.
JUST IN TIME
Retailers were still reducing their stock, Duettmann said, and added that even when this is over the industry would not go back to inventory levels seen before the crisis. "It'll be just-in-time delivery from then on," he said. "The market will be different after the crisis."
Beiersdorf was well positioned to cope with the new environment, Duettmann said, pointing out Beiersdorf had spent recent years streamlining its supply chain to meet such challenges, for example by outsourcing its logistics.
"We are a small player with big brands," said Duettmann. To keep it that way, Beiersdorf would continue to spend about 32 percent of its annual sales -- almost 6 billion euros ($8.8 billion) last year -- on marketing.
Duettmann said it would not make sense to place a smaller skin-care brand next to its flagship Nivea globally, but he could well imagine acquisitions at Eucerin, its derma cosmetics business. "We've got the money and we are looking," he said.
Beiersdorf had 1.4 billion euros in liquidity as of June 30, he said, adding he saw no reason for a special payout for 2009 after paying 0.20 euros per share extra for 2008 on top of a 0.70 euro dividend.
Beiersdorf shares, which have gained about 19 percent over the past six months, were up 0.4 percent at 40.5 euros by 1225 GMT, while Germany's blue-chip DAX index. was little changed. (Editing by David Holmes) ($1=.6802 Euro)