UPDATE 1-Photo-Me sees return to profit growth next year

(Adds CEO and analyst comments, share price)

By Paul Sandle

LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - Britain's Photo-Me International (PHTM.L: Quote, Profile, Research) said it would return to profit growth next year after a writedown in the value of its digital photo-booths plunged it to its first loss for five years.

"In the current year, we will concentrate on stability, consolidation and restructuring", Chief Executive Thierry Barel told Reuters on Thursday. "After this year, we are heading for one-digit solid profitable growth."

The company's shares, which have lost 84 percent of their value over the last 12 months, fell a further 6 percent at 12 pence by 1115 GMT.

Photo-Me, which operates about 21,000 photo booths in railway stations, airports and shopping centres, posted a pretax loss of 21.6 million pounds ($42.8 million) for the year to April 30, against a 15.7 million pound profit in the prior year.

Excluding the costs of restructuring and cutting the lifespan of its first-generation digital photo booths from eight years to five, the loss was 1.9 million, he said. Analysts had expected a loss of 3.7 million, according to Reuters Estimates.

Analyst Roger Hardman at Hardman & Co said earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of 35.8 million pounds met expectations.

"The results were just what we were looking for," said. "The photo-booth business just throws off money."