As consumers, when we use a product or service we are also conducting important fundamental analysis of the company that produces or sells it. Perhaps that company is also a publicly listed one on the Australian Securities Exchange, which itself trades as ASX Ltd (ASX: ASX).
Many people will have held a barbeque this Australia Day or taken advantage of the extended weekend to travel. If you're one such person, you might have been using a product or service from an ASX-listed company without knowing it.
Supermarket giants Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) and Coles owner Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) have all the barbeque essentials and are obvious ones, but did you know they have alcohol covered too? Wesfarmers has Vintage Cellars, First Choice Liquor, and Liquorland, while Woolworths owns Dan Murphy's, BWS and wine home delivery service Cellarmasters.
If you haven't got any of these nearby, I'm sure you can visit IGA, Foodland, Cellarbrations, The Bottle-O, or Thirsty Camel, which are all businesses supplied by Metcash Limited (ASX: MTS).
Barbequing Wagyu beef? Maybe it came from one of Australian Agricultural Company Ltd's (ASX: AAC) farms. Cheese goes well on a beef burger and something from the Bega Cheese Ltd (ASX: BGA) range isn't a bad choice. They also do Vegemite, peanut butter and Zoosh dressings, mayonnaise and dips.
Smoked salmon seems to be becoming a more popular choice and Huon Aquaculture Group Ltd (ASX: HUO) and Tassal Group Limited (ASX: TGR) have Atlantic salmon farms in Tasmania. Fruit and vegetables are supplied by Costa Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: CGC), don't forget the Handee paper towels. Asaleo Care Ltd (ASX: AHY) is the company behind that brand, as well as Sorbent tissues, Purex toilet paper and Libra sanitary items.
The supermarkets have bakery sections, but perhaps Brumby's has something in particular you're after. Retail Food Group Limited (ASX: RFG) owns the franchise rights to that bakery.
As for drinks, why not Hello Sunshine cider by Gage Roads Brewing Co Limited (ASX: GRB) or a Penfold's red from Treasury Wine Estates (ASX: TWE)?
If you travelled rather than barbequing, you might have found yourself on one of Transurban Group's (ASX: TCL) toll roads spread throughout Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. If so, make sure the car is ready to go with parts and accessories from Super Retail Group Ltd's (ASX: SUL) Supercheap Auto, Bapcor Ltd's (ASX: BAP) Autobarn or ARB Corporation Limited (ASX: ARB).
Maybe you flew Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN), Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd (ASX: VAH), Air New Zealand Limited (ASX: AIZ) or even Regional Express Holdings Ltd (ASX: REX). There's airports to choose from too, with Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd (ASX: SYD) and Auckland International Airport Limited (ASX: AIA). You might have booked your flights through Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) or Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB).
Foolish takeaway
I hope I've been able to name at least one brand you hadn't thought of as being owned by an ASX-listed company.
Renowned investor Mr. Peter Lynch wrote how consumers recognise amazing products and services from public companies much earlier than large institutional investors can. He saw this as a key advantage for individual investors which can be exploited to beat the market.
Next time you find a product or service that stands apart from the competition, you may want to check if it's part of a publicly traded company.
