Hermes posts 37 percent rise in H1 operating profit

PARIS (Reuters) - French luxury group Hermes (HRMS.PA) posted a 37 percent rise in first-half operating profit, driven by the United States and China, and reiterated its sales and margin goals for the full year.

Operating profit reached 418.1 million euros in the first six months of the year, Hermes said in an announcement published in Les Echos newspaper on Wednesday.

The group's operating margin rose 3.7 percentage points to 32 percent in the period, Hermes added.

(Reporting by James Regan; Editing by Leila Abboud)