WH Smith, a British retailer, released its half yearly results today. The retailer announced that the profit was reported up by 2% in the first half of the fiscal ended February 2010.

The WH Smith said that the increased profit was mainly attributable to the cost cutting measures applied in the period. The company also said that it is raising the dividends for the period.

WH Smith, the newspapers, books and stationery retailer, announced today that the first half group profit was reported of £62 million, increasing by 2% comparing to the same period last year. The first half profit came in line with the expectations of the market analysts as they were eyeing profit of £61.5 million for the period.

WH Smith said that the first half results were in line with the expectations of the company. The company said that its travel arm reported a growth of 15% in half yearly operating profits. The operating profit of the travel division of the company was reported of £23 million in the first six months of the fiscal.

However, WH Smith remained optimistic for the full year results.

"We remain cautious about consumer spending and our plans reflect this. We are confident in the outcome for the full year," said Kate Swann, chief executive of WS Smith.