Furthermore, our turnover growth can vary according to the level of maturity of our POS, which is a factor affecting our results of operations. The amount of turnover that a POS generates depends on its stage of operation. Generally, turnover is lower at the initial stage of operation, but a new POS generally generates an operating profit within the first year of operation. The turnover of a new POS tends to continue to increase thereafter as the POS gains customer loyalty and market recognition. Turnover growth of the POS will continue to depend on various factors such as the level of customer traffic, quality of management and the growth rate of the local economy.

# Same Store Sales

Our profitability is affected in part by our ability to successfully grow sales at the existing POS that we operate. We measure this growth through evaluating Same Store Sales and Same Store Sales Growth (please see “— Explanation of Same Store Sales Growth” for further details on how these measures are calculated). The following table sets out a breakdown, by geographical segment, of our Same Store Sales Growth for FY2010, FY2011 and 1HFY2012:

<table><tr><td></td><td>FY2010</td><td>FY2011</td><td>1HFY2012</td></tr><tr><td>PRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .</td><td>15.2%</td><td>35.2%</td><td>45.3%</td></tr><tr><td>H(1ong K)ong, Macau and Taiwan .......................................</td><td>16.0%</td><td>32.4%</td><td>78.5%</td></tr><tr><td>Overall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .</td><td>15.6%</td><td>33.8%</td><td>61.9%</td></tr></table>

Note:

(1) Includes self-operated POSi n Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan only, as POSi n Singapore and Malaysia are all franchised POS.

Although much of our turnover growth in recent years was attributable to the expansion of our POS network, the strong performance of our existing POS on a Same Store Sales basis has also been an important driver for our turnover growth. Our overall Same Store Sales Growth was 33.8% in FY2011 and despite the global economic downturn in 2008 and 2009, our overall Same Store Sales Growth was 15.6% in FY2010. Our Same Store Sales Growth for 1HFY2012 further increased to 61.9%. Our Same Store Sales Growth over FY2010, FY2011 and 1HFY2012 can be partly attributable to our strong promotional activities, which enhance our brand awareness and image in the locations where we operate, and our continuous development and promotion of new and wider range of merchandise, including higher value products to suit market demand. We believe the strength of our customer loyalty programme is a significant factor contributing to our Same Store Sales Growth. Total sales to our customer loyalty programme members in the PRC in our self-operated POS as a percentage of total retail turnover in the PRC has risen from 27.0% for FY2009 to 33.0% for 1HFY2012. For FY2011 and 1HFY2012, over 80% of the top 500 customers (by transaction value) in the PRC were our customer loyalty programme members. Many other factors also influence Same Store Sales including economic conditions, competition, pricing and customer service.

# Maintaining a strong brand image that caters to changing consumer preferences

We derive substantially all of our turnover from sales ofj ewellery products, which depend on the strength of our brand. The strength of our brand is based in part on our long history combined with our reputation for providing trusted high qualityj ewellery with distinctive product designs to a wide range of consumers. We continually develop and promote a wide range ofj ewellery to suit consumer preferences. For example, we produce both traditional and contemporary designs that cater to the needs of customers at all life stages. Although our predominant focus is on the mass luxury segment which we believe has the greatest growth potential in the Greater China region, we also produce high-end luxury products that enable us to meet the demands of wealthy individuals in the region. Our high-end luxury products have also helped us establish our brand as a high-endj ewellery brand which is consistent with our overall marketing and advertising strategy. We have also developed a younger line of products with lower entry prices targeting the younger generation to expand our

customer base and cultivate a retailer-consumer relationship with a younger generation of consumers. Accordingly, a significant part of our success has been and will continue to depend on our ability to maintain our strong brand image and at the same time continue to design and produce a wide range of qualityj ewellery that meets continually changing consumer preferences.

# Ability to secure steady supplies and manage changes to raw material prices

Our ability to source a steady supply of raw materials is another key factor to our success. The cost of inventories recognised as expenses during the Track Record Period constituted at least 90% of our total cost of goods sold during the respective years. We maintain strong relationships with our existing suppliers due in part to our leadership position in the PRC, scale of operations, solid financial performance, reliable payment history and ability to fulfil our suppliers’ selection or membership criteria. For example, we have been selected as a DTC Sightholder and Select Diamantaire of Rio Tinto. We have been able to renew our raw material supply agreements after they expire. In addition toj ewellery, we sell more than a hundred different watch brands, and have well-established business relationships with reputable watch suppliers, including affiliates of LVMH Group, Richemont Group, Rolex group and Swatch Group. We have been able to source mid- to high-end luxury watches from a number of suppliers on an order-by-order basis since the 1960s.

Changes to raw material prices may also affect our results of operations. Ourj ewellery products are made of precious raw materials such as diamonds, coloured stones, jadeite, pearls, gold and other precious metals that are subject to changes in market prices. However, demand forj ewellery products are consumer driven, and as such, we have generally been able to pass-on raw material price changes to our customers. In addition, for our products made of gold, we use gold loans and bullion forward contracts to hedge against the financial impact of gold price fluctuations. For FY2010 as compared to FY2009, the average gold price increased by 17.0% and our turnover from our sales of gold products increased by 22.5% during the same period. For FY2011 as compared to FY2010, the average gold price increased by 26.8% and our turnover from our sales of gold products increased by 68.3% during FY2011. For 1HFY2012 as compared to 1HFY2011, the average gold price increased by 31.8% and our turnover from our sales of gold products increased by 94.7%.

The selling prices of our jewellery products, and particularly gold products, usually reflect the market price of the raw materials in the products and a relatively stable gross margin percentage for those products. While fluctuations in the price of raw materials could impact the selling prices of our products and our gross profit, we have successfully managed such price fluctuations through various selling strategies in order to maximise our nominal sales and hence our gross profit. In addition, we were able to maintain a relatively stable overall gross margin from approximately 28% to 30% during the Track Record Period due to our ability to adjust our product offerings based on a wide selection of jewellery products, including gem-set jewellery, platinum/karat gold products, gold products and watches.

# Staff compensation costs

Compensation costs represent a significant component of our total costs. As at 30 September 2011, we had more than 25,000 employees and our staff related costs constitute a significant portion of our overall expenses. In FY2009, FY2010, FY2011, 1HFY2011 and 1HFY2012, staff related costs relating to our selling and distribution activities were HK\$762.6 million, HK\$975.3 million, HK\$1,354.2 million, HK\$543.3 million and HK\$978.6 million, respectively, representing 31.3%, 30.5%, 30.8%, 30.9% and 34.2% of our total selling and distribution costs, respectively. The compensation programme for our sales personnel is designed to incentivise our employees to perform well at their respective functions by linking a portion of their compensation to our performance. The exact portion that is linked to our performance would depend on each employee’sj ob function and seniority. On the other hand, staff related costs (including director emoluments) relating to our administrative activities in FY2009, FY2010, FY2011, 1HFY2011 and 1HFY2012, were HK\$313.3 million, HK\$344.5 million, HK\$466.8 million, HK\$208.8 million and HK\$390.9 million, representing 61.6%, 53.6%, 51.2%, 48.3% and 55.1% of our total administrative expenses, respectively.