Shares of commercial flooring manufacturer and distributor James Halstead rose sharply after it reported a solid first half with record revenue and profit.In an update ahead of its results for the year to 30 June 2012, chairman Geoffrey Halstead said the group was confident its performance would continue in a similar vein for the rest of the financial year."Overall, this confidence was well founded and the company has continued to trade solidly in very difficult global conditions," he said in a company statement. The Radcliffe-based firm said it is confident of reporting another year of record revenue and record profits for the year ended 30 June 2012, in line with market expectations.CJ