May 8(Reuters) - German sportswear brand Puma's

first-quarter sales met expectations on Wednesday,

sending its shares rising more than 4%, helped by demand for its

retro shoes and a return to growth in the Americas region, the

company said.

Currency-adjusted sales rose 0.5% to 2.10 billion euros

($2.26 billion), in line with the 2.1 billion expected by

analysts, Refinitiv data showed.

Demand for retro shoe styles such as 'terrace' has helped

boost sales of sportswear brands like Puma and its rival Adidas

at a time when the sector has been hit by weaker

consumer demand and excess stocks.

"We already see that sales of our trending terrace and skate

styles Palermo and Suede XL are accelerating month over month,"

Chief Executive Arne Freundt said in a statement.

Shares rose 4.3% to 47.15 euros in early trading.

"No miss could provide some relief to the shares this

morning," given a weakness in the share price so far this year,

analysts at J.P. Morgan wrote in a note to clients.

The Americas region recorded positive sales growth for the

first time in four quarters, the company said, growing by 1.0%

to 790 million euros, with the U.S. showing a sequential

improvement.

While retail partners are still working through elevated

stock levels, the company expects further improvement in the

second quarter, Freundt said.

Reported sales for the group declined 3.9% from a year

earlier, with currencies hitting sales in euro terms by around

100 million euros in the quarter, the company said.

Puma's wholesale business declined by 2.9% currency-adjusted

to 1.61 million euros.

($1 = 0.9310 euros)