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Why almost no colors in the U.S.?


 
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dean

TVWBB Pro
I know there have been posts on this before. Doesn't weber know how many more units they will sell? I have seen people from France with grey and green and red kettles. I know sometimes here they have colors but it is rare. I they should come out with a certain color every year or two!
 
I would imagine they've done some kind of market research and have found that there isn't enough of a demand for different colored grills.

Bill
 
this has been discussed a lot. no real answers from weber. considering they are made here it doesn't make sense to not sell them. i think this issue ticks off most of us weber fans but weber seems to not care.
 
Weber does not sell direct to consumers, they sell to retailers who sell to consumers. If retailers order colors and they don't sell, then they don't order colors again next season.

The fact that us Weber fanatics want colors doesn't matter. There aren't enough of us. Only on occasion do you see someone like Crate & Barrel get a special edition color--Weber needs a big enough order to make a special color worth their while--and even then I wonder how well they sell and how many C&B ends up discounting at end of season.

Regards,
Chris
 
yea, but are the retailers aware of this ? cuz there has never been colors sold in the u.s. except for the aformentioned. so if lowes or whatever ordered red or whatever weber would send them ?
 
most people prefer the black.

the few of us that desire more colors do not warrant the cost of manufacturing, transporting, stocking, marketing, and selling those colors.

The market might support a more colorful selection for a year or two - but then the enthusiasts would have a desire for change and MORE colors. The rest of the market would already be flooded and new colors AND old wouldn't sell anymore. They've been doing this for a long time, I'm sure they have plenty of data to make good decisions that will keep the company running for years to come.
 
the fact that germany and other countries seem to be able to sustain this doesn't wash. the u.s. is much much bigger. also if thats true then why do we not have the black lidded q ?
also, if they can support the black kettles, etc and they make the colored ones here then the arguement of cost don't wash.
 
Based on Chris' explanation, are dealers able to order colored kettles? Can you go to a dealer and order one?
 
Well...lets talk about the copper colored kettles that Target sold. I wonder how well they went over? I think it may not have gone too well by some of the prices I saw the end of season inventory get sold out for? Anyone know anymore about the success of the copper ones sold at Target? I think they would have done a lot better if they offered them in the gold series instead of the silver series.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JustinL:
Based on Chris' explanation, are dealers able to order colored kettles? Can you go to a dealer and order one? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Large retailers like William-Sonoma or Crate & Barrel or Target can get a custom color kettle by agreeing to order hundred (thousands?) of them at once. Then come spring you'll see in the Crate & Barrel catalog, "custom lime green Weber kettle, exclusively at Crate & Barrel".

This does not mean you as a consumer can walk into a Weber dealer and custom order a single Weber kettle in lime green, if that's what you're asking.

Regards,
Chris
 
Sorry if I wasn't clear. I wasn't asking about getting a custom grill, I was curious if a dealer here could order grills that weber makes that aren't available here such as the ones in europe.

I think George is getting at the same thing I am.
 
Something Weber should consider too is that, how many of us that swear by Weber would buy another kettle, that were on the fence about it, just because it was a color that is only available in limited supply! Lets say Weber makes 10,000 red-heads in 26 inch model! No ash catcher, no bells or whistles at all. They offer it at $149 or what ever. How many people would buy it just because it is RED and different from his neighbors? IMO I think lots would!
 
I have no doubt Weber wishes they could still make red grills. Those have a track record of selling. The cadmium used in the red color is a heavy metal. Nasty stuff and difficult to dispose of. An environmental issue and I guess cost prohibitive.

Regards,
Chris
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by george curtis:
so all the colors in europe are special ordered by the importers or whatever ? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I don't have any special knowledge here. I assume that the Weber distributor in Denmark or Germany or wherever works with Weber HQ in Palatine to decide what products in which colors to offer in that country. And while we envy some of the colors we see over there, we have no idea how well they sell over there, either.

Regards,
Chris
 
George...what would be your favorite color if you could have it...AND...would you be willing to buy a brand new grill (in your color) at the same prices Weber currently charges?
 
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