JAKARTA : Indonesia's PT Matahari Putra Prima, a major

JAKARTA : Indonesia's PT Matahari Putra Prima, a major supermarket and department store operator, said Friday net profit nearly doubled to Rp 70.28 billion in the first half of the year, helped by a sharp increase in interest earnings.

Matahari Putra booked Rp 35.82 billion in interest earnings, up 87 percent from Rp 19.12 billion a year ago.

The company recorded net profit of Rp 36.77 trillion in the year-earlier period.

Net sales rose to Rp 2.35 trillion from Rp 2.17 trillion, bringing gross profit up to Rp 695.51 billion from Rp 637.86 billion.

Operating profit in the six months increased to Rp 52.48 billion from Rp 31.24 billion.

The company didn't provide further comment on its performance.

Matahari operates 81 department stores in 37 cities throughout Indonesia. It sells a range of goods, including clothing and toys, and also has supermarkets inside its department stores. --Dow Jones.