Following its recent, and very impressive, half year report, the co-founder and chairman of Harvey Norman Holdings Limited (ASX: HVN), Gerry Harvey, stated the following in its half-year report:
"Australian macroeconomic conditions have had an upward trend for three years and have been favourable for consumption in the homemaker and lifestyle categories. We anticipate robust construction and housing activity to continue this year, in response to pent-up demand and, particularly in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT, dwelling starts are materially above long term averages."
Should this be the case, then I believe following three shares could outperform the market significantly in the next 12 months.
Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK)
Nick Scali is one of my favourite shares on the ASX. Its business model has proven to be incredibly successful, and there are still significant growth options ahead for the company.
Although the company could face headwinds from the weaker Australian dollar, it doesn't appear to have happened as of yet. As it imports its furniture, the falling Australian dollar means that the company will have to increase its prices in order to maintain the high level of profitability shareholders have become accustomed to.
There is always a danger that prices will hit the point where sales start to suffer. Thankfully, perhaps due to rising levels of disposable income, this has yet to happen. Another aspect of its business model that I like is that the company only imports its furniture once the purchase has been made, thus it holds very little by way of inventory.
Finally, the company's Sofas2Go budget brand is relatively new on the scene, and could prove to be a great competitor to the offerings that Fantastic Holdings Limited (ASX: FAN) bring to the market. Still in its infancy, I see an opportunity to grow its store network considerably in the years to come.
JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH)
JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman should both benefit from a continued housing boom, especially with the absence of Dick Smith Holdings Ltd (ASX: DSH) from the market now.
While JB Hi-Fi doesn't sell furniture, like Harvey Norman does, it does have an extensive range of whitegoods and appliances which new houses require.
According to CommSec, analysts are expecting earnings to grow at almost 11% per year through to 2018. Analysts could be onto something here, as JB Hi-Fi's first half earnings per share came in at 16.7 cents, which is the best performance in eight years.
The absence of Dick Smith from the market, together with a strong housing market could make JB Hi-Fi a great addition to your portfolio.
Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG)
Kitchen appliance manufacturer, Breville, is another company I believe would benefit from a sustained boom in the Australian housing market. As mentioned above, I would expect sales of appliances to remain strong for as long as the housing boom continues.
But asides from this, Breville is also benefitting from its strong international presence. At present over half of its revenue is coming from overseas, with the United States a key market providing 38.5% of revenue.
Although there has been a little resistance from the Australian dollar recently, I would expect it to eventually decline beneath 70 U.S. cents again, which should help bolster the company's bottom line.
In the last 10 years Breville has grown its earnings by an average of almost 12% per year. With macroeconomic conditions on its side, I see no reason why it could not achieve similar for the next couple of years.
