LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) - British housebuilder TaylorWimpey said on Monday it performed strongly in the firsthalf, with sales rates and pricing at the upper end of itsexpectations.
The company said it expected its operating profit margin toimprove to about 16 percent, from 13.1 percent in the sameperiod a year ago, and remained on track to deliver an increaseof at least 300 basis points for the year.
Taylor Wimpey said it completed 5,766 homes, an increase of11 percent, and the average selling price of completions rose toabout 206,000 pounds ($350,500) from 188,000 pounds a year ago.($1 = 0.5877 British Pounds) (Reporting by Paul Sandle, Editing by Li-mei Hoang)