High street is a loosely defined concept, which has a price point for all buyers. Lelit can find a spot in JL, Currys, Harrods, Selfridges, etc. Can it be sold in Argos? May be, the lower end of the range.

I do hope they will retain Lelit’s current customer support. In the end, they may retain the current operating model as long as it doesn’t hurt them too much. But, we have to remember it runs contrary to their current after-sales business practice. At the same time, most of the people here won’t mind DIY. This isn’t in the case of the mass market. Perhaps, they may give us a choice - fix it if we think we can with a loss of warranty if we mess it; otherwise, we will fix it for you. Is it fair, may be for some and may not be for others.

Businesses are run to make money. Let’s not forget it. A few businesses have excellent customer support. If Breville can do that, it’s good.

    LMSC High street is a loosely defined concept, which has a price point for all buyers. Lelit can find a spot in JL, Currys, Harrods, Selfridges, etc

    Getting more coffee machines into ‘high street’ stores would be a huge bonus in my opinion. Depending on where you happen to live, I assume there are some specialist shops (Bella Barista?) where you can view before you buy. For a lot of people, if they wanted to see a machine before buying then their only real choice is Gaggia Classic which is sold in Selfridges or The Breville range sold in JL.

      Having been involved in the purchase of multiple small busineses, it will be very difficult for the Lelit owners to stay motivated under the new owners. Having made a lot of money through the transaction and offset significant responsibilities to Breville; a regular salary won’t be a good enough reason to endure the Breville bureaucracy and ways of working, let alone continue to work hard and take risks.

      There is usually a retention incentive (ownership of shares; price adjustment, etc.) but they only last for so long. Non-compete clauses can sometimes play a role, but with people who don’t need a job or in certain geographies these have little effect… And who knows, we might find the same people working under a different brand in a few years.

      As to Breville, the temptation will be to rationalize what Lelit did and possibly improving the market access of their products. There may be ways to cut costs (custom parts made in China rather than expensive Italian stuff), focus on the most profitable products and possibly invest in the plant to increase volume, but keeping the creativity and risk taking mindset of the original owners will be difficult.

      All in all, Kudos to the Lelit family but I’m not sure that coffee amateurs will gain much from this transaction.

        I feel they might have to look at the Lelit aesthetics if they want to sell their lower end machines to a wider market, I would imagine most coffee amateurs would rather a Sage machine in their kitchen on looks alone.

        Eiffel As it happens the previous owners more often than not, after getting the fat cheque, might stay to hand things over but inevitably go in the end. And who can blame them, their vision is no longer the new company driving force and little would depend on their will/decision.
        Let’s hope the good work done at Lelit will survive and the quality the Lelit’s name epitomise will stay for years to come.

        Current setup: ACS Vesuvius, Nuova Simonelli Mythos One. Past experience, Nuova Simonelli Apia 1 gr., San Remo Capri 1 gr., Bezzera BZ 35e, Fracino Heavenly. Anfim Super Lusso.

        Contact me at: john_yossarian11@yahoo.com

          DavecUK I’m not sure it can, at least in Canada. Both a Breville dual boiler and an Elizabeth from Lelit are over 2000 dollars each. It’s already a lot. In Australia a BDB costs about a third of it. So we’ll have to wait. I’m happy I have bought my Elizabeth before any modification possibly happening to the quality of this nice espresso maker.

              Fredcafe I think for everyone everywhere the prosumer machines are a significant purchase. Sadly world events over the last few years mean they are likely to rise further in price. Component prices have increased significantly, and production costs are rising.

              Contact me

                2 years later

                A lot of time has passed, yet Lelits continue to be built in Italy and Inside Lelit continues to provide help and answers on its YouTube account. I bought a MaraX a few days ago (maybe it will arrive at my house today) and the Italian seller confirmed to me that they are built in Italy and that nothing has changed. Opinions?

                  That is good to hear. I have an Elizabeth, and want them to keep making them!

                    dndrich I confirm, at the online store where I purchased (I don’t know if I can give links), Tommaso one of the sellers told me that I had to wait one more day because the Letit 220v had just arrived from Brescia.