April 28 (Reuters) - French household equipment maker Groupe SEB will continue operating in Russia, albeit at a "lower pace" than before, the group's chief of operations Stanislas de Gramont told analysts in a call on Thursday.

SEB, which owns the brands Tefal, Rowenta and Krups, in February said its exposure to Russia and Ukraine accounted for just under 5% of revenue in 2021.

The Ukraine conflict has led companies to reassess their presence in Russia, with some suspending operations, while Western sanctions on Moscow and COVID-19 curbs in China have amplified supply chain and inflationary pressures.

The group has a historical presence in Russia, with both a sales subsidiary in Moscow with 324 employees and a small cookware assembly workshop in St. Petersburg with 70 employees, its 2021 annual report said.

In Ukraine, the group is present through a commercial subsidiary and has 124 employees.

De Gramont added: "Our activity in Ukraine… is almost stopped."

The group on Thursday reported a 0.4% organic increase in its first-quarter sales, largely driven by growth in China.

China, which accounted for nearly a quarter of the company's 2021 revenue, had 10.9% like-for-like sales growth in the January-March period amid resurgence of COVID in the country.

Meanwhile, sales in the EMEA region declined nearly 5% like-for-like largely due to the impact of countries outside Western Europe, including Russia.

SEB said that first-quarter revenue in Russia was down by around 20%.

"While remaining highly vigilant as to the global geopolitical and sanitary (health) situation (…) our ambition for 2022 - growth in sales and increase in operating result from activity- remains unchanged," SEB’s CEO Thierry de La Tour d'Artaise, said in a statement. (Reporting by Olivier Sorgho; Editing by Edmund Blair and Jane Merriman)