PARIS (Reuters) - French construction and telecoms conglomerate Bouygues (BOUY.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) reported a 15 percent rise in first quarter sales on Wednesday that beat the average market forecast.

Sales rose to 6.815 billion euros ($10.54 billion), including a 57 percent surge in turnover at the company's property division Bouygues Immobilier.

Sales at Bouygues Telecom rose 7 percent to 1.197 billion euros.

The mean consensus forecast for group first quarter sales stood at 6.61 billion euros, according to Reuters Estimates.

Along with its construction and telecoms businesses, Bouygues also owns 43 percent of French TV channel TF1 (TFFP.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) and has a 30 percent stake in French industrial company Alstom (ALSO.PA: Quote, Profile, Research), which makes power plants and fast trains.

In February, Bouygues reported a 32 percent rise in 2007 net profit and said it expected 2008 full year sales to rise 9 percent.

Bouygues shares closed up 2.5 percent at 48.25 euros, giving the company a stock market value of around 16.8 billion euros. The stock has fallen 15 percent since the start of 2008, compared to a 10 percent decline in France's benchmark CAC-40 index .FCHI.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)