Rocket Internet targets 25-40 percent sales growth

BERLIN (Reuters) - German ecommerce investor Rocket Internet expects its main start-ups to grow sales at an average of 25 to 40 percent in coming years even as it puts a new focus on improving profitability, its founder told shareholders on Thursday.

Shares in Rocket Internet slid last week after it reported that average revenue growth at its top start-ups slowed sharply in the first quarter to 34 percent from 217 percent a year earlier as it took steps to try to reduce their losses.

"We want to remain a growth company," Oliver Samwer, the founder and chief executive of Rocket, told the annual shareholders meeting, predicting an average growth rate of 25-40 percent for the next few years.

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Victoria Bryan)