The much-anticipated announcement by the US Government of reciprocal tariffs creates an environment of uncertainty. For Australian consumer companies, there could be a silver lining through lower cost of goods on products sourced from China or other low-cost countries. Breville and Lovisa face some challenges given their US operations, but also stand to benefit from lower sourcing costs. Treasury Wines will face tariffs on a small part of its business importing wines from NZ and Australia, but its US business could benefit from higher prices on French & Italian wines competing with its domestic US premium portfolio.
Breville reported 1H25 sales growth of 10% and EBIT growth of 11%. The result was characterised by strong sales across all geographies and particularly in coffee machines. We expect the company to sustain good sales growth, helped by a step-up in product development, marketing and the addition of new markets including China.
Breville’s FY24 result highlighted better 2H24 sales trends in EMEA and the Americas. The company is likely to deliver good revenue growth in FY25e from these regions given new product launches and extended geographic reach. Breville is investing for growth with increased product development costs, while at the same time generating good cash flow.
We initiate coverage on Breville group, a global kitchen appliance developer that has achieved very strong sales growth in recent years, particularly in the coffee category. After a soft FY24e, we expect solid sales growth to resume in FY25e and beyond with household penetration, new markets and new products all supporting sales growth of 6%-9%. While gross margins should also expand, the company will need to invest in advertising and product development to sustain momentum.