Berkshire Hathaway Sees Consumer Products Segment’s Sales Slip in Q3

Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. reported that sales at its consumer products group declined 6.2 percent in the third quarter to $3.58 billion, primarily due to lower sales volumes at Fruit of the Loom, Jazwares, and Duracell, largely attributable to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. These declines were partially offset by revenue increases at Brooks Sports, Forest River and Richline.

The consumer products group, to which these brands belong, includes leisure vehicles (Forest River), several apparel and footwear operations (including Fruit of the Loom, Garan, H.H. Brown Shoe Group and Brooks Sports), and a manufacturer of batteries (Duracell). It also encompasses a toy company (Jazwares), jewelry products (Richline), and custom picture framing products (Larson-Juhl). Fruit of the Loom comprises Vanity Fair Lingerie, Russell Athletic, and Jerzees in the U.S. and Canada, as well as the global Spalding brand.

Sales in the nine months in the segment declined 4.0 percent to 10.6 billion.

Pre-tax earnings of the consumer products group remained relatively unchanged in the third quarter, at $582 million, compared to $576 million a year ago, and decreased 8 percent in the nine months to $1.21 billion.

The latest quarter benefited from tax credits for its Duracell business. However, before the effect of these credits, pre-tax earnings of the consumer products group “declined significantly” in the third quarter and in the first nine months of 2025 compared to 2024, according to Berkshire Hathaway’s 10-Q filing. This performance was primarily attributable to lower earnings from Jazwares, Forest River, Duracell, and Fruit of the Loom, which generally reflected lower gross margins and higher selling, general, and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues. These declines were partially offset by higher earnings from Brooks Sports, which saw a combination of increased sales and gross margins.

Brooks separately reported sales jumped 17 percent in the third quarter, marking its ninth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth with all regions and channels delivering double-digit gains.

Image courtesy Brooks