CookOut News

Having an outdoor #kitchen installed can be a complicated and pricey job. Backyard Discovery has a solution with their new Fusion Fire ready-to-assembly outdoor kitchen. It comes shipped in 14 boxes for a #DIY project with a friend. They've also partnered with BILT Incorporated for 3D interactive instructions. #innovation

Big Green Egg's EGGtoberfest is returning to Coolray Field outside of #Atlanta on October 5th. It's a special EGGtoberfest because it's the 50th anniversary of the iconic #brand. In celebration, the #event will feature a World Record attempt in addition to the usual hundreds of Eggs and great food.

Solo Stove has partnered with Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and The Martin Agency on their largest #campaign yet that will run through the balance of the year. Taking lessons learned from last year, this year's campaign targets the full funnel rather than just awareness. That's key for the most important #selling season for fire pit brands. #marketing

It was the same story out of Lowe's Companies, Inc. that we've heard from other #retailers this grilling season. The consumer is reluctant, especially when it comes to big ticket discretionary purchases. That has a direct impact on sales from grills. On the flip side, Lowe's continues to build their #omnichannel business and saw #online sales growth.

It appears that Camp Chef has discontinued their Apex hybrid grill. The #innovative grill came out two years ago and could cook with pellets or propane in the same cook chamber. This gave #versatility in cooking, but also solved the searing problem with pellet grills. It's too bad that this grill is gone because it was a creative concept.

Camp Chef has released their first product in their multi-year #partnership with Guy Fieri. It's a limited edition Flavortown version of the Woodwind Pro pellet grill. The new #grill looks great with a number of visual upgrades. Of course, it still has the #innovative Smoke Box.

Ace Hardware Corporation has unveiled their new ELEVATE3 store design. The new layout prominently displays grills and #grill products from their top #brands such as Traeger, Inc., Weber LLC, and Big Green Egg. The new store model will be limited this year, with a full roll-out beginning in January 2025. #retail

MEATER launched the Pro XL today, which is a block that houses four Pro #wireless temperature probes (formerly called MEATER 2 Plus). The biggest upgrade with the XL is it adds WiFi capabilities to the probes. It also has an onboard controller and USB-C charging. #tech #technology

Royal Oak Enterprises, LLC has combined with Whole Earth Brands to form Sweet Oak. Together they operate like other consumer packaged goods (#CPG) companies like Clorox. Royal Oak was #acquired in 2016 by investment firm Mariposa, while the deal for Whole Earth closed earlier this month. The Whole Earth #transaction was #financed through a $862 million facility led by Silver Point Capital, L.P.

The Home Depot continues to see softness in big-ticket discretionary spending. The large grill #retailer believes #consumers are pausing purchases due to uncertainty. On the bright side, they had positive comps on online sales. They've expanded their #partnership with Instacart to improve the online shopping experience.