Ace Hardware and Weber Blackstone Pen Exclusive Deal

According to industry sources and corporate communications being circulated, Weber has signed an agreement that will make Ace Hardware and its subsidiary, Emery Jensen Distribution, its exclusive distribution partners within the independent home improvement channel beginning in 2026.

This decision comes less than one week after Weber LLC completed the combination of its business with Blackstone Products to form a new entity, Weber Blackstone.

Other industry distributors including Do it Best, True Value and Orgill have confirmed that they were informed of this decision and are beginning to actively communicate with their customers that they will no longer be able to place any new orders with Weber after year’s end. 

Hardware Retailing reached out to both Ace and Weber Blackstone and neither company provided any comment prior to our deadline but the following statement was included in corporate communications sent to retailers from Ace and Emery Jensen.

“For the 2026 season and beyond, Emery Jensen and Ace Hardware will be the exclusive distributors in the convenience hardware channel for Weber. Weber is one of the largest grill manufacturers in the world with industry leading product innovation and customer service. This change will allow all customers to gain access to Weber’s convenience hardware channel program, including the opportunity to increase their retailer margin with access to Weber’s drop ship program for qualifying orders.”

Distributors React

Weber’s decision to no longer sell through Do it Best, True Value, Orgill or other wholesalers servicing independent home improvement retailers generated concern among some of the distributors about what they perceive as a negative potential impact on the broader independent channel.

“We are extremely disappointed by Weber’s decision to limit their products to Ace and its subsidiaries, as it restricts competition and choice in the marketplace,” says Nick Talarico, Do it Best president. “This move seems short-sighted, especially given the strong, long-term growth we’ve achieved with Weber over the years. It limits the flexibility that independent retailers rely on to meet the unique needs of their customers. At Do it Best and True Value, we remain committed to supporting independent retailers and will continue to advocate for open and fair competition, ensuring they have access to a variety of high-quality products.”

As far as how the change will impact retailers, True Value’s president Dent Johnson says, “While this decision by Weber may cause some short-term disruption, we believe it will present an opportunity for our members and retailers and their customers. By stepping away from Weber, we empower our retailers to explore other brands that align with their needs, increase margins and offer better flexibility. Our store owners will be able to source high-quality alternatives that will meet their customers’ demands, and we are confident that our strong relationships with other top grilling brands will ensure they remain competitive in the grilling category.”

Do it Best and True Value CEO Dan Starr also added that, “Independent retailers thrive because they are empowered to make decisions that best serve their customers. Weber’s decision to cut off support for the broader independent channel in favor of exclusivity limits competition and restricts choice in the marketplace. We are committed to supporting the success of our members and retailers by advocating for open and fair competition, where vendors put the needs of independent businesses and consumers first.”

Executives from both the True Value and Do it Best merchandising teams also sent a joint letter to members alerting them that they will likely be approached by the Emery Jensen and Weber sales teams encouraging them to open an account with Emery Jensen in order to continue to have access to Weber products moving forward.

In the letter, signed by both Justin Hanford, True Value’s VP of merchandising and Jason Stofleth Do it Best’s VP of merchandising, they told retailers, “Beginning today, you should expect to be approached by Weber’s sales reps, who will be aggressively pushing you to sign a new agreement to source Weber grills and accessories through EJD. We encourage you to be prepared to say ‘no thanks.’”

The letter went on to say, “We believe in giving you the freedom and flexibility to choose the products that best meet your customers’ needs. Weber’s exclusive deal is a move that limits competition and choice, which goes against the spirit of independent retail. We’re committed to offering you alternatives that provide better margins and consistent quality for your stores.”

Clay Jackson, Orgill’s chief operating officer and EVP purchasing, says the distributor was disappointed to hear about Weber’s decision but their merchandising team is working to provide their customers with even more choices within the category.

“We recently learned that Weber has made the decision to end their partnership with Orgill, and with other distributors in the independent channel,” Jackson says. “This was not a decision made by Orgill, and we are disappointed in Weber’s direction but will continue to support our dealers who carry Weber products through the end of 2025. They will be able to order as needed as we support them through the transition.”

Jackson added that outside of Weber, “Orgill already offers one of the most extensive assortments of grills and grilling-related products in the industry—including over 60 trusted brands, and we’re actively expanding our offering even further.”

“Our merchants are working to enhance this category with additional brands, deeper assortments and even stronger promotional opportunities to drive customer success,” he says. 

Boyden Moore, Orgill president and CEO, also shared his insights.

“Orgill has always worked to provide our customers with the broadest range of products and assortments to meet their specific market needs,” Moore says. “While we are disappointed with this decision, we are already working with our vendor partners to provide customers with a host of alternatives that ensure they can continue to grow their market share in the grilling category—and maybe more importantly—their profits. I would encourage retailers to make sure they participate in our Fall Buying Event to see all the options and promotional opportunities we will have for them.”

Retailers Weigh In

Retailers expressed a mix of concern and optimism about this move and what it might ultimately mean for them. 

Bradley Carson, owner of J-Town Hardware and Rental in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, says the news is a “crushing blow” to those who sell large numbers of Weber products in their stores. 

“They not only lose the ability to order products directly out of the warehouse on a weekly basis, but they can’t even drop ship after the first of the year,” Carson says. “I would expect the big winner will be Emery Jensen; I would think a number of True Value and Do it Best dealers will add them as a vendor to fill that gap.”

Even though the deal doesn’t directly impact his operation, Dan Vogel, IT manager at Lee’s Home Center in Millstadt, Illinois, says he thinks it will have a negative impact on the channel. 

“We only carry four models of Weber charcoal grills, so we’ll just switch to whatever brand Do it Best chooses as its warehouse replacement and go on,” Vogel says. “But overall, I don’t think this type of exclusive deal is good for us independents. Manufacturers should be helping to ensure our viability into the future and this seems to pit us against one another.”

When it comes to the impact the deal will have on the independent channel, Carson feels all the risk falls on Weber. 

“To place all your eggs in one basket gives a lot of control to Ace, but while it’s a bit of a shock, it’s really nothing new,” Carson says. “These types of decisions have been made for years. It’s truly just the life cycle for most vendors.”

At its Spring Convention, Ace reaffirmed its commitment to drive toward channel exclusivity for popular brands wherever possible. Ace has also made it clear that grilling was one of the primary categories their members should “own.”

“Elevate3 Ace and its experiential, immersive brand shops represent, in our opinion, the future of retailing, and that includes exclusive brands,” said John Venhuizen, president and CEO of Ace Hardware, during the general session at the Ace Hardware 2025 Spring Convention. 

Scot Steele, senior director of merchandising for E&H Ace Hardware, says several of the operation’s 31 locations in Ohio have implemented Elevate3 Ace into the store and the Weber exclusivity deal will allow all the stores to better compete. 

“It will be great to say we sell a line of products that no one else does; being an exclusive distributor will go a long way for all of our stores and will mean a lot,” Steele says. “Both Weber and Blackstone are good names, well-known for a quality product and customers specifically look for those names. In our experience, when somebody has a Weber, they continue to buy a Weber and they’ll go find it wherever it is, so maybe we’ll pick up a few more customers from this.” 

On May 5, Weber LLC and Blackstone Products announced that the combination of the two businesses into one entity—Weber Blackstone—was final, following the receipt of all regulatory approvals. The exclusivity deal will include Blackstone along with Weber products.  

“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,” says Roger Dahle, founder of Blackstone and now CEO of the combined company. “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.”

Hardware Retailing will continue to monitor this development and share more information as it becomes available.