There are about to be fewer grill options in Europe. Pit Boss and Char-Broil (branded Charbroil in the US) are pulling out of the market with all distribution phasing out by March 2027.

For Char-Broil, it’s a market that they’ve been in for some time. They first entered in 2011 when they purchased Dancook then subsequently opened a location in Hamburg, Germany in 2016.

They sold many of their popular grills in Europe and continued to release innovative new products to cater to the market. They brought their electric grilling platform there and released the Versa-Tile there before it came to the US.

Unfortunately, that’s coming to an end. Despite Char-Broil leaving the market, they still will support warranties on their products and supply replacement parts. They have the following statement regarding the move on their website.

Thank you for your trust and the many grilling moments we have shared. Even though our journey in Europe has come to an end, we remain fully committed to ensuring you continue to enjoy your Char‑Broil or Pit Boss grill for many years to come.

On the Pit Boss side of the house, they entered the European market in 2021 during the grill boom from the Pandemic. That was followed by a grill sector crash, and Pit Boss’s parent company Dansons being purchased by W.C. Bradley Co., the owner of Char-Broil.

The operations of Pit Boss in Europe was based in Hedel, Netherlands when Dansons originally expanded to the market. That appeared to be consolidated into Char-Broil’s headquarters in Hamburg after the acquisition.

Like at Char-Broil, Pit Boss continued to release new products in Europe as recently as last spring. They brought their Onyx series and the feature-rich Titan there.

It may be localized struggles to grow in Europe, or indicative of overall economic headwinds, but the grill brands must have had a change of heart since then. We’ll see who fills the void that they’re leaving.

There are quite a few European competitors on the gas and charcoal side both domestically and from the US. Notably, Weber’s EMEA revenue was more than 1/3 of their total revenue prior to their merger with Blackstone. Weber also has a production facility in Poland to support the European market.

With pellet grills, it’s a little bit more up in the air. International sales for Traeger are only around 8% of total revenue, and they have pulled back on their expansion plans internationally to preserve cash through Project Gravity. A chunk of their international revenue also is from their acquisition of UK-based Apption Labs, the parent company of MEATER, which has subsequently consolidated into Traeger HQ in Utah.