Nokia sales slip again ahead of strategy overhaul

Nokia’s sales slipped again in the third quarter as it prepares an overhaul of its marketing strategy and the launch of its first Windows phones.

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The Finnish mobile company’s net sales were down 13% to €8.98bn in the three months to September, although this beat analysts’ expectations, who predicted the drop would be far worse.

Nokia posted a pre-tax loss of €151m, ahead of the €300m loss some analysts predicted.

The company sold 16.8 million smartphones in the quarter, down 39% year on year, but better than expected sales of feature phones, of which Nokia shipped 18 million in the period, helped boost revenues.

Stephen Elop, Nokia CEO, says: “In Q3 we started to see signs of early progress in many areas. As we head into the fourth quarter we are looking forward to generating more success as a result of delivering against our new strategy.”

He added that the company has made some “difficult decisions”, which is likely to refer to its decision in April to cut 7,000 jobs as part of a €1bn cost-cutting programme.

Nokia is set to launch its first range of Windows-powered smartphones and unveil its new youth-focused marketing strategy at an event in London on 26 October.

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