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.