Chow Tai Fook Shows Long-Awaited Sales Gains

Chow Tai Fook saw positive retail sales growth in the fiscal fourth quarter, ending a long run of declines at the Hong Kong-based jeweler. Retail sales in mainland China increased 16%, with same-store sales rising 12% during the three months that ended March 31, the company reported Wednesday. Overall retail sales in Hong Kong and Macau grew 1%, and same-store sales rose 4% — the first quarterly increase in three years in Hong Kong and Macaua, Chow Tai Fook said.

Driving this growth were sales of gold products – up 17% in mainland China and 19% in Hong Kong and Macau – as the jeweler benefited from a 3% rise in gold prices and a higher average weight per gold product sold. Gem-set jewelry sales rose 5% in mainland China, but fell 17% in the municipalities due to a decline in the average selling price: The company had sold a number of big-ticket items in Hong Kong the previous year that it was unable to match during the reporting period, management explained.

Chow Tai Fook’s ecommerce sales spiked 85% in mainland China, strengthened by its cooperation with existing online platform partners.

The company, considered the largest jeweler in the Asia Pacific region, operated 2,381 points of sale at the end of March, of which 2,129 were jewelry locations in mainland China. It opened six jewelry points of sale in China and closed two watch locations during the quarter.