SIG sees 2014 progress slightly lower than previous expectations

Nov 12 (Reuters) - SIG Plc (LSE: SHI.L - news) , a European specialist building products distributor, said it expected a year of good progress, albeit slightly lower than its previous expectations.

SIG said the strong growth in the UK and Ireland (Other OTC: IRLD - news) , accelerated savings and improving gross margin are expected to partially mitigate the effects of weaker macroeconomic conditions in Mainland Europe and foreign exchange translation in 2014.

The company, which distributes insulation, exteriors and interiors products, said trading conditions weakened in Mainland Europe, particularly Germany and Poland, during July-October due to the deteriorating macroeconomic environment and political uncertainties in Ukraine. (Reporting by Aashika Jain in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)