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To overcome the global financial turmoil which erupted in 2008, the Chinese government introduced an economic stimulus package in 2009 which not only helped to revive the economy but also helped to boost consumer confidence. In the second half of 2009, the property market in China rebounded strongly with a surge in both selling prices and sales volumes. Riding on its well-established brand together with the adjustment in its strategy made years ago, Hopefluent was able to seize the market opportunity for development and achieved fruitful and encouraging business results with the Group's turnover for 2009 rising by 46% to HK$995.4 million. Profit attributable to shareholders amounted to HK$125.6 million.
During the year under review, the Group maintained its leadership in the primary property real estate agency service business. It was the contract agent of numerous projects within the market, including most notably Favourview Palace which generated the largest transaction value, The Lake Dragon of Sun Hung Kai Properties and the Peninsula from Star River (¬PªeÆW). In addition to the outstanding performance of the Group's business within Guangdong Province, the Group has also actively expanded its business scope to second and third tier cities elsewhere such as Wuhan, Changsha, Hefei and Guiyang and achieved overall excellent results. Currently the Group operates in more than 20 cities in China. Guangzhou and Shanghai remained as the core markets of the Group's secondary property real estate agency service business. After the substantial adjustment in the number of its branches in late 2008, the Group has redeployed resources and consolidated its foundation in this service business segment. These measures bore fruit during the year enhancing the profitability of the branches dedicated to this service and brought satisfactory profit growth to this business. Other property related businesses, principally project consultancy services, mortgage referral and property management, continued to generate stable income for the Group. The Group also hired new sales professionals during the year to improve its market competitiveness. The number of staff during the year increased to more than 8,000.
In 2010, the demand for residential units will remain strong, developers are expected to launch projects starting from the second quarter of the year. Transactions will become vibrant in the market, and the domestic demand in PRC would grow strong under a steady pace. The Group has strived to enlarge its market share steadily by securing more exclusive agency rights for projects to better meet the various needs of the markets and consumers. The Group will also closely monitor market developments and trends. While aiming to expand its business coverage, we will also work to enhance our overall strength to provide better service packages for our customers.
Last but not least, on behalf of the Board, I would like to thank all of our shareholders, business partners and customers for their support, as well as their confidence in and recognition of the Group's future development strategy. I would also like to express my gratitude for our staff. Their dedicated efforts were the key for the Group to successfully overcome the difficulties that we encountered and to strengthen our business. To meet the upcoming challenges, the Board intends to continue to work closely with all of our staff with the shared objective to generate promising long-term returns for our shareholders.