* Q3 EBIT 88.7 million euros vs 59-76 million fcasts in poll
* Sees sales up y/y for next 12 mths, core EBIT flat
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HELSINKI, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Finnish retailer and wholesaler Kesko reported a higher-than-expected profit in the third quarter on Tuesday, helped by cost cuts and recovering demand. Operating profit, excluding one-off items, rose 87 percent to 88.7 million euros ($124.5 million) from a year ago, beating all forecasts in a Reuters poll, which ranged from 58.7 million to 76.1 million euros. Net sales grew 5 percent to 2.23 billion euros, in line with estimates in the poll.
Kesko said it expected net sales to grow during the next year compared with the previous 12-month period. It expected operating profit, excluding non-recurring items, in the same period to remain unchanged.
(Reporting by Helsinki Newsroom; Editing by Erica Billingham)