Weber and Blackstone made big headlines last December when they announced plans to combine into one company. Six months later, the business combination is official.
The two companies combined their entities into one business called Weber Blackstone. Weber was already the largest grill company in the world, so the combined entity is head and shoulders above everybody else. Based on past filings and information, I’d put the combined entity north of $2 billion in revenue.
As planned when the deal was announced, Blackstone’s current CEO, Roger Dahle, is the CEO of the combined entity. He successfully created a new outdoor cooking category with Blackstone in just over 15 years, and he’ll bring that innovative approach to the new company.
We are incredibly excited to introduce the new leader in outdoor cooking, built upon the proud legacies of both Weber and Blackstone. Bringing together our shared passion for outdoor cooking experiences, we look forward to leveraging our combined strengths to drive growth and innovation for the benefit of our retail partners, consumers, and team members.
With our two iconic brands, a history of quality and craftmanship, and a continued commitment to redefining the future of outdoor cooking through dedicated innovation, we have a tremendous opportunity ahead.
Roger Dahle, CEO of Weber Blackstone
The grill industry has seen some major ups and downs over the past five years. What was once a relatively stable industry saw new disruptors enter, extreme growth at the start of the Pandemic, a subsequent crash, and an attempt at a recovery (or at least a bottom) amidst major economic headwinds.
The latest challenge the industry faces is from tariffs. The majority of grills are manufactured in China and other parts of east Asia.
Weber produces most of their grills in Asia, but does produce Summit grills and some Genesis grills in the US with global parts. Blackstone on the other hand produces all of their products in east Asia.