Hamilton Beach looks forward to building on the progress it made in its fourth quarter of 2026, which will see it expand its new premium small appliance brand, Lotus, and other programs, said R. Scott Tidey, Hamilton Beach president and CEO.
On a conference call, Tidey noted that Hamilton Beach is moving forward with its extension of the Lotus small-appliance brand. The Lotus brand — now offering the Lotus Profession and the forthcoming Lotus Signature collections — is positioned as a vehicle to give the company a fresh play in the premium housewares market. The expanding Lotus program, including a coffee maker, a blender, an air fryer/convection oven and sear grill and toasters, will be showcased by the company in an exhibit at The Inspired Home Show, March 10 to 12 in Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center. Beyond Lotus, Hamilton Beach is planning product launches across various housewares segments set to hit the market in the coming months.
Hamilton Beach net income was $18.5 million, or $1.38 per diluted share, versus $24 million, or $1.75 per diluted share, in the year-before quarter, the company reported.
Revenue was $212.9 million versus $213.5 million in the year-prior quarter. Operating profit was $25.4 million compared to $23.6 million in the year-earlier period.
Hamilton Beach stated that revenue benefited from growth in the Commercial and Health businesses, offset by lower volumes in the company’s U.S. Consumer business.
For the full fiscal year, net income was $26.5 million, or $1.95 per diluted share, versus $30.8 million, or $2.20 per diluted share, in the year before.
Revenue was $606.9 million versus $654.7 million in the year prior. Operating profit was $36.6 million versus $43.2 million in the year-earlier period.
Hamilton Beach provided an outlook for the current fiscal year, including revenue growth in the mid-single-digit range, with a partial offset from the expiration of the company’s Bartesian licensing agreement at the end of 2025. It anticipates operating profit on a reported basis to decline in the low teens, inclusive of an incremental $6 million in planned advertising spend in 2026 to support the company’s strategic growth initiatives and some $6 million in accelerated depreciation associated with the Hamilton Beach legacy ERP system.
On the conference call, Tidey said, “We are pleased with our fourth-quarter results, which meaningfully exceeded our expectations and represent an important step forward in our recovering from the tariff-related disruptions. We faced throughout 2025.”
Tidey pointed out that, for Hamilton Beach, “full-year revenue was only down approximately 7%, with a decline coming from lower volumes in our U.S. consumer business as retailers adjusted their buying patterns in response to higher tariffs, including suspending purchasing for a six-week period in April and May at the height of the tariff uncertainty. If you exclude the $5.3 million in one-time incremental tariffs we incurred in 2025, and the $1.6 million from the accelerated depreciation and write-off associated with our legacy ERP system, our full-year operating profit was $0.3 million above 2024 levels.”
Hamilton Beach continues to develop and launch new initiatives, including, but not exclusively, those under its Lotus brand. Over the next few quarters, the company plans to roll out three new blender systems: a redesign of the successful Durathon iron platform, and new Durathon and CHI garment steamers, addressing a segment where the company believes it can grow significantly. In addition, Hamilton Beach will launch new single-serve coffee platforms developed to bring innovation to the space.
“In support of these initiatives, we are making incremental investments in innovation to drive growth, while significantly increasing our investment in digital, social media and influencer marketing,” Tidey said. “This also ties into our initiative to accelerate our digital transformation. The way the consumer is exposed to our brands and products has changed dramatically over the last five years. Add generative AI-assisted shopping, and this will only accelerate changing shopping habits in the years to come. We start with a strong foundation with our e-commerce capabilities. We enforce that foundation with consistent, strong consumer reviews and ratings averaging above four stars across our brands. However, we are having to pivot quickly to better connect with the consumer. We must be relevant when the consumer decides to buy their appliance, and we must be present and featured across a variety of platforms to influence their purchase decision. To do this, in 2026, we’ve increased our advertising investment to more than the past four years combined, and invested in resources to improve discoverability with consumers and sharpen our AI shopping tactics.”
Tidey added that the company strategy includes gaining share in the premium segment of the marketplace.
“A big part of this strategy revolves around the Lotus brand expansion,” Tidey says. “Lotus is more than just a brand of chef-inspired tools. It is a promise of culinary confidence, a philosophy focused on savoring and sharing passionate preparation, and its delicious results. Both lines — Lotus Professional (pictured above), which launched in 2025, and Lotus Signature, scheduled to launch this fall — play in the biggest premium categories at premium price points. This validates our strategy to capture share in the premium market, which represents approximately half of the U.S. appliance market, totaling over $4 billion, where we currently hold only about 1% market share, providing significant growth runway. We’re supporting these launches with $6 million in marketing investment over the 15-month window, including $2 million spent in 2025.”
In announcing the financial results, Tidey said, “We are pleased with our fourth-quarter results, which meaningfully exceeded our expectations and represent an important step forward in our recovery from the tariff-related disruptions we faced in 2025. Our performance showed significant sequential improvement from the double-digit sales declines we experienced in the second and third quarters and demonstrates both the resilience of our business and the effectiveness of the strategic actions we implemented throughout the year. These included diversifying our sourcing base, select price adjustments and ramping up growth of our higher margin commercial and health segments.”
Tidey pointed out that Hamilton Beach “entered 2026 with building momentum and renewed confidence in our ability to deliver sustainable growth and shareholder value. Our diversified business model, strong brand portfolio and the work we’ve done strengthening our foundation position the company to capitalize on the improving market conditions this year and create a platform for long-term growth.”
