Here’s what’s going on at Warren Buffett’s shopping extravaganza for shareholders. Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting is starting with a shopping extravaganza called the “Berkshire Bazaar of Bargains.” The shopping event is a tradition at the yearly convention, featuring over 20,000 square feet of showroom space and more than 50,000 items of inventory, showcasing goods from a myriad of the conglomerate’s holdings. The event is held in downtown Omaha at the CHI Health Center. Only shareholders can participate at the event and claim the discount.
Shareholders can snap up Warren Buffett-themed plush dolls from Squishmallows for the first time. They can also snag Buffett-themed apparel from Brooks Sports, as well as Berkshire chocolate coins from See’s Candies. CNBC and CNBC.com will exclusively cover the annual meeting starting Saturday at 10 a.m. ET.
This year, Squishmallows made their first appearance ever at Berkshire’s shopping event, and the toy brand turned out to be a big hit. The plush toys attracted long lines at checkout with many shareholders snagging Warren Buffett cartoon dolls.
Berkshire got into Squishmallows through its acquisition of Alleghany, which closed in the fourth quarter of 2022. While Alleghany’s main business is insurance, the company is also a conglomerate. It owns a few non-financial businesses, including Jazwares, which is a U.S. toymaker with brands like Pokémon and Squishmallows.
The sweets at See’s Candies drew a big crowd again at the “Woodstock for Capitalists.” The “Berkshire Box” of chocolate featuring a dancing Buffett on the package was a popular item at the booth. So was chocolate walnut fudge, a favorite of the Oracle of Omaha. Buffett said See’s Candies sold 11 tons of peanut brittle and chocolates at last year’s event.
Investors could buy sneakers, socks and t-shirts bearing illustrations of Warren Buffett from the Brooks booth. They can also participate in the 5K run co-hosted by the sportswear company and Berkshire in downtown Omaha on Sunday morning.
A cardboard cutout of Warren Buffett in an apron greeted shoppers at the Pampered Chef booth, where investors could pick up kitchen tools including a spatula with the Oracle of Omaha’s face on one side, and Charlie Munger’s on the other.
There’s a separately-held shareholder-only shopping event at Borsheims, about 14 miles away from the main convention center. Berkshire shareholders browsed through one-of-a-kind jewelry, engagement rings and watches that were available for purchase at a discount. This seven-carat emerald ring from Ruchi New York is selling for $400,000 with 25% off.