Turning Up the Heat: Independent Retail’s New Grilling Game Plan
Distributors respond to Weber’s Ace deal with expanded assortments, fresh partnerships and more dealer-focused strategies.
The grilling industry is entering a new era as Weber’s move toward Ace exclusivity reshapes strategies across the independent retail channel. For hardware retailers, the shift brings challenges and opportunities as distributors adjust assortments, pricing and partnerships to stay competitive in the evolving outdoor living market.
Distributors are responding by expanding assortments, forging new partnerships and leaning into accessories and innovation to keep their dealers competitive. Here’s how Do it Best/True Value, House-Hasson and Orgill are navigating the shifting landscape.
Broader Assortments, Premium Partnerships
Orgill is taking an aggressive approach to ensure dealers remain competitive in outdoor living by focusing on assortment diversity, premium partnerships and add-on sales strategies.
“Over the last several years we have worked to significantly diversify our offerings in the grilling category,” says Alan Shore, Orgill’s director of seasonal merchandise. “We know that every customer is different, and that means the brands and styles of grills that are popular can be very different market to market, so we wanted to have a broad assortment to support all our customers.”
In 2025, Orgill had already added well-known grill brands to its lineup, including Big Green Egg, Coleman, Char-Griller, Dyna-Glo and Camp Chef. With these brands, Orgill plans to deliver a mix of price points, grilling technologies and strong consumer recognition. For 2026, it plans to double down, bringing even more players into the fold with new partnerships featuring Napoleon, Recteq and Broil King.
“These brands fit nicely into our portfolio and offer fantastic quality, game-changing innovation and the opportunity to differentiate from the standard assortments you might find at national retailers,” Shore says.
A Complete Category Approach
Orgill’s strategy extends beyond grills. The company has focused on building its offerings in accessories, fuels, sauces and rubs, which drive repeat traffic and add-on sales for dealers.
“In these areas we’ve added lines from companies such as Mr. Bar-B-Q and GrillGrate,” says Matt Ray, Orgill’s manager of category purchasing. “We’ve also greatly enhanced our fuel category, adding assortments from brands like Bear Mountain pellets, Jealous Devil, B&B and Rockwood charcoal. Lastly, we’ve added to our offering of sauces, rubs, seasonings and cooking enhancements from brands like Blues Hog, Bearded Butcher, Kosmos, Urban Slicer and Bacon Up.”
This holistic approach—combining grills, accessories, consumables and cooking enhancements—is what Shore calls the “secret sauce” of Orgill’s outdoor living plan: “The real secret sauce to our strategy with the grilling category is to bring all the elements together that enable our customers to meet the unique demands of their markets, differentiate their assortments and drive greater profits.”
Supporting Dealers Through Transition
As retailers may need to pivot away from Weber, Orgill is helping them do so as easily as possible. “With the introduction of our new programs from Napoleon and Onward/Broil King, we’re committed to making the transition seamless for our dealers,” says Tyler Hammers, Orgill’s merchandise manager. “We’ll be rolling out clearly defined assortments, complete with in-depth features and benefits for each supported model across the line.”
Orgill is also developing cross-reference guides to help dealers easily compare new offerings with brands that are no longer widely available, empowering sales staff to have informed conversations with customers.
Training and resources are central to Orgill’s strategy. Says Hammers: “Over the coming months, we’ll be providing our dealers with frequent updates, training and resources designed to ensure they’re confident, knowledgeable and ready to drive sales the moment these products hit their floors.”
