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Pearson reports sliding sales for first nine months of 2014

Pearson's sales down 6% in the first nine months of this year
Pearson's sales down 6% in the first nine months of this year

British publisher Pearson, owner of the Financial Times newspaper, suffered a fall in sales in the first nine months of the year, hit by adverse currency factors. 

Sales dropped by 6% in the first nine months of 2014, compared with a year earlier, Pearson added in a trading update which gave no profit figures. 

The performance was dented by the strength of the British pound against the US dollar and emerging market currencies. 

At constant exchange rates, however, sales grew by 1% in the reporting period. 

Pearson repeated its full-year earnings guidance of between 62 pence and 67 pence per share. 

"We are reiterating our guidance for this year and, overall, we are performing well competitively through a period of change and in difficult markets," said chief executive John Fallon. 

"We still expect those markets to start to stabilise next year and then return to growth in future years," he added. 

Pearson also revealed today that its chief financial officer Robin Freestone will leave before the end of 2015, after a total of 10 years at the group. 

The company added that its restructuring plans remained on track, with full-year net restructuring costs of about £50m in 2014.