Warren Buffett’s shopping spree begins with the Squishmallows pit

OMAHA, Nebraska — Warren Buffett’s annual shopping event, the opening event for Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting, is drawing shareholders in droves to Omaha this weekend.

With more than 20,000 square feet of showroom space and more than 50,000 items in stock, the downtown Omaha exhibition room at CHI Medical Center displays products from various Berkshire holding companies, from Brooks Running to See’s Candies and Jazwares.

Only shareholders can participate in the event, and they can purchase items at special discounts.

The annual meeting will be broadcast exclusively on CNBC and is broadcast live on CNBC.com. Our special coverage will begin Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Jazz

Jazwares, the American toy maker best known for its line of stuffed Squishmallows, made a big splash last year when it showcased its products for the first time at the Berkshire Hathaway conference, including launching Warren Buffett stuffed animal eyes. This year, the company expanded the exhibition at the hall, tripling its scale.

Some of the highlights include the latest Squishmallows toys for Buffett and Charlie Munger, a sparkling Squishmallows pit, as well as other displays.

Poor Charlie’s Almanac

Bookworms have only one book for sale this year: “Poor Charlie’s Almanac: The Essential Wisdom and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger.” It was Buffett’s request to honor his business partner of more than 60 years, who was passed away in November at age 99.

Land safely

Berkshire acquired pilot training company FlightSafety in 1996. At Friday’s shopping event, the company showcased how its professional pilot training program works. Shareholders lined up to wear virtual reality glasses and experience flight simulation training.

Pilot tourism center

The giant Pilot Travel Center truck stop displays a life-sized red truck. The company is the largest operator of travel centers in North America, with more than 750 locations. Berkshire now fully owns Pilot Travel following the purchase 20% remaining ownership from the Haslam family. The deal was not without drama as the Haslams last year sued Berkshire in a complaint accusing the group of using so-called push-down accounting without the family’s permission.

Duracell

IN 2016Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway bought Duracell from Procter & Gamble, giving the consumer giant $4.7 billion worth of shares it owns in P&G in exchange for the battery maker.

Brooks is running

Brooks Running has attracted a long line of shareholders to immediately buy a special 2024 edition of its running shoes with “brk” on the side and a cartoon of Buffett running on the insoles. Many shareholders are also preparing to participate in Brooks’ “Invest in Yourself” 5K fun run and walk on Sunday, the morning after the annual meeting.

Dairy Queen

Warren Buffett purchased Dairy Queen in 1998 in a transaction worth about $600 million and took trips to Omaha locations with his great-grandson. According to to The Wall Street Journal, the billionaire investor previously said that his favorite DQ order is a vanilla soft serve topped with chocolate syrup and malted milk.