(Adds detail, comment)
STOCKHOLM, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Swedish fashion giant Hennes & Mauritz posted sales figures that were in line with market forecasts on Monday, with revenue from established stores dropping a modest 2 percent.
The fall in sales of stores open for one year compared with forecasts for a 2.8 percent drop, according to a Reuters poll of 10 analysts. Predictions ranged from a 5 percent drop to a 2 percent rise.
H&M only gives round numbers for sales and does not give currency figures.
"I think the figures were good. They were in line with my expectations," said Anders Wiklund, analyst at Evli Bank. "H&M continues to do better than the market, just like the low price segment is expected to do right now."
While the climate for retailers has deteriorated markedly as the global financial crisis has intensified, firms such as H&M and Spanish rival Inditex have managed to outperform as they focused on price-conscious consumers.
Total sales for the month were up 9 percent from a year earlier, against a forecast of a 9.1 percent increase.
The like-for-like result marked the third consecutive month showing falling sales. The annual changes for both established and total sales in August, September and October have been largely similar. (Editing by Hans Peters)