Independent auditor's report
To
the
Shareholders
of
Gap
Group
p.l.c.
Levels of materiality and methodology used for the group audit engagement
The scope of my audit was influenced by my application of materiality. An audit is designed to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement. Misstatements may arise due to fraud or error. They are considered material if individually or in aggregate, they could reasonable be expected to influence the economic decisions of the users taken on the basis of the financial statements.
Based on my professional judgement, I determined certain quantitative thresholds for materiality, including the overall materiality for the financial statements as a whole. These, together with qualitative considerations, helped me to determine the scope of my audit and the nature, timing and extent of my audit procedures and to evaluate the effect of misstatements, both individual and in aggregate of the financial statements as a whole.
The overall group materiality amounted to €501,165 which represents 1% of the consolidated turnover. I chose total turnover as the accepted point of reference to the users of the financial statements as it is most commonly used. I chose 1% as it is within the range of acceptable quantitative materiality thresholds in auditing standards.
I agreed with the Audit Committee that I would report to them misstatements identified during my audit above €501,165 as well as misstatements below that amount that, in my view, warranted reporting for qualitative reasons.
Key Audit Matter
Key audit matters are those matters that, in my professional judgment, were of most significance in my audit of the financial statements for the current period. These matters are addressed in the context of my audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in forming my opinion thereon, and I do not provide a separate opinion on these matters. The key audit matter indentified was :
Valuation of inventory
The Group consists of companies holding immovable property for development and resale. Three bonds were issued to the public to enable the Company to acquire shares of property development companies and to provide further finance to the group companies to carry on further development. At 31st December 2021, the carrying amount of immovable property held by the Group as inventory represented 41% of total assets.
At Company level, the carrying amount of inventory represents the cost of the land, development costs and borrowing costs.
At Group level, the acquisition method of accounting is applied to account for business combinations. Identifiable assets and liabilities assumed by the business combination are therefore initially measured at their fair values at the acquisition date. Therefore, at consolidated group level, inventory cost represents the fair value of inventory held by the acquired subsidiary as at date of acquisition of subsidiary, together with additional development and borrowing costs incurred following date of acquisition.
The carrying value of inventories as at 31st December 2021 is explained in note 16 which discloses the composition of the Inventories, including the fair value adjustment on the acquisition of subsidiaries. At year end, the directors assess whether inventory is carried at the lower of cost and net realisable value.
Inventory valuation has been identified as a key audit matter because of the significance of the carrying value of inventories in the Group’s Statement of Financial Position and the judgmental nature of the assumptions used by the directors in the assessment described above.
My other audit procedures included:
•
Audit procedures carried out to verify cost included testing over source documentation, including vouching costs incurred to date, a review of labour costs and a re-calculation of borrowing costs.•
An assessment was made of the reasonableness of cost of property reversed from inventory upon the sale of property.•
Audit procedures carried out in relation to net realisable value included a comparison of estimated selling price to recentmarket transactions and to similar property on the market and an assessment of the reasonableness of estimated costs to completion.
•
I also evaluated the appropriateness as audit evidence of the valuation carried out by an independent valuer.•
I evaluated the adequacy of related disclosures in the financial statementsBased on my audit work we concluded that the inventories were fairly stated.