Warren Buffett’s annual shopping event, which serves as a prelude to Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting, attracted thousands of shareholders to Omaha. The exhibit hall at the CHI Health Center featured a wide array of goodies from Berkshire’s holding companies, with shareholders having the opportunity to purchase items at discounted prices. The annual meeting will be broadcast exclusively on CNBC and livestreamed on CNBC.com, with special coverage beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday.
One of the highlights of the event was the presence of Jazwares, an American toymaker known for its Squishmallows plushie line. Last year, the company debuted a Warren Buffett plushie at the conference, and this year they expanded their exhibit, showcasing the latest Squishmallows toys for Buffett and Charlie Munger, as well as other displays. The exhibit hall also featured a splashy Squishmallows pit for attendees to enjoy.
Another notable feature at the event was “Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger,” which was the only book available for sale. This was at the request of Warren Buffett in honor of his business partner, who passed away in November at the age of 99. Additionally, FlightSafety, an aviation training company acquired by Berkshire in 1996, provided shareholders with a taste of their flight simulation training program using virtual reality glasses.
Pilot Travel Centers, the largest operator of travel centers in North America, put up a display featuring a real-sized red truck at the event. Berkshire acquired full ownership of Pilot Travel Centers by purchasing the remaining 20% ownership interest from the Haslam family. The acquisition was not without drama, as the Haslams had filed a lawsuit against Berkshire accusing them of using pushdown accounting without authorization.
Duracell, which was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway in 2016 from Procter & Gamble, was also featured at the event. Brooks Running attracted a large number of shareholders interested in purchasing the special edition of its running shoes, which featured “brk” on the side and a cartoon of a running Warren Buffett on the insoles. Many shareholders were also expected to participate in the Brooks “Invest in Yourself” 5K fun run and walk the day after the annual meeting.
In addition, Dairy Queen, which was bought by Warren Buffett in 1998 in a $600 million transaction, was a popular attraction at the exhibit hall. Buffett has been known to visit the Omaha locations with his great-grandchildren and has mentioned that his favorite DQ order is a vanilla soft serve topped with chocolate syrup and malted milk powder. Overall, the shopping event provided shareholders with a unique opportunity to engage with Berkshire Hathaway’s diverse portfolio of companies and products.
