* Germany, Eastern Europe and Nordics 'excellent'
* Benelux, Spain and British markets challenging
(Adds details, analyst comments)
AMSTERDAM, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Dutch engineering group Imtech said on Thursday it still saw challenging economic circumstances, particularly in the Benelux, Britain and Spain as it reported a 10 percent rise in its order book over 2010.
Imtech said its order book at end-2010 was at 5.2 billion euros ($6.8 billion) as it confirmed its outlook for an improved operating profit over 2010, adding that its German, Eastern Europe and Nordics operations were performing excellently.
"The results in the Benelux are still under pressure because of the continuing difficult market conditions. There are also challenging circumstances in the UK, Ireland and Spain as a result of the economic crisis," Chief Executive Rene van der Bruggen said in a statement.
In November, Imtech said it was aiming for annual revenue of 8 billion euros by 2015, 60 percent more than its previous target, and the company said on Thursday it had already taken its first definite steps towards that goal.
ING analyst Tijs Hollestelle said he sees limited execution risk in Imtech's new strategy and that he was confident the company would meet its new targets, reiterating his buy advice and adding the company to ING's Benelux favourites list. ($1=.7598 Euro) (Reporting by Aaron Gray-Block; Editing by Hans Peters)