* H1 sales down 11.4 percent after it postpones deliveries
* Sees "reasonable optimism" for end 2009
* CFO says mkt 2009 consensus figures "very realistic"
(Adds comments from conference call, background)
By Marie-Louise Gumuchian
MILAN, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Italian clothing retailer Benetton reported a 60 percent fall in first-half net profit on Wednesday as sales were hit by order postponements and said it had "cautious optimism" for the end of the year. Benetton will recover the deferred sales in the third quarter, with a reduction of about 3 percent in revenue for the first nine months of the year, Chief Executive Gerolamo Caccia Dominioni said in a statement.
Chief Financial Officer Alberto Nathansohn told analysts on a conference call that market consensus figures for Benetton's 2009 net profit and sales were "very realistic".
Analysts have forecast full-year net profit of around 100 million euros ($143.9 million) on sales of just over 2 billion euros, compared with 2.128 billion euros last year.
"Given the current status of our business, I would anticipate that the 3 or 4 percent lower sales number compared to the previous year is a reasonable estimate at this time of the year in terms of full year performance," Nathansohn said.
The retailer, known for its colourful jumpers, said spring/summer collection orders were up 1 percent on the previous year, while a reduction of 3 percent for orders for the fall/winter line was expected.
Caccia Dominioni said the combination of the level of orders taken for the new fall/winter collection and cost-saving "allow reasonable optimism for the end of 2009 in respect of sales, profit and net indebtedness".
Benetton said first-half net profit was 26 million euros ($37.42 million) versus 72 million euros a year ago. Net attributable profit was 29 million euros.
Sales fell 11.4 percent to 882 million euros after the rescheduling of 88 million euros of shipments, net of which they were down 3 percent. The move had been announced in May.
The market consensus was for first-half revenues of 881 million euros and net profit of 27 million euros.
Like other European retailers, Benetton is having to face the severe economic downturn that has sapped consumer demand.
Swedish H&M and Spain's Inditex, which owns Zara, have so far shown themselves as weathering the downturn better than mid-market rivals such as Britain's Marks & Spencer and Next, helped by a focus on low-cost, fast-moving fashions and geographic spread.
To combat the recession, several Italian retailers and luxury goods companies are putting in place cost-cutting measures such as closing poorly-performing stores.
Benetton's reorganisation plan is expected to generate 30-40 million euros in additional cash flow this year.
Its shares closed up 2.24 percent at 6.15 euros. ($1=.6948 Euro)