| Year ended 2 January 2010 Number of shares |
Year ended 3 January 2009 Number of shares |
Year ended 29 December 2007 Number of shares |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| At the beginning of the period | 3,658,550 | 4,205,841 | 4,205,248 |
| Own shares purchased | 636,762 | 1,506,518 | 1,597,500 |
| Transfer of own shares | (1,752,118) | (2,053,809) | (1,596,907) |
| At the end of the period | 2,543,194 | 3,658,550 | 4,205,841 |
Own shares represent the cost of the Company's ordinary shares acquired to meet the Group's expected obligations under employee share schemes. Dividends relating to own shares held have been waived with the exception of those that are payable to participants in the relevant schemes.
As at 2 January 2010, 904,632 ordinary shares (3 January 2009: 1,143,076 ordinary shares) were held in trust and 1,638,562 ordinary shares (3 January 2009: 2,515,474 ordinary shares) were held as treasury shares.
As at 2 January 2010, the market value of own shares held was $7.9 million (3 January 2009: $7.1 million).