Weber opens its first in Portugal

Premium grill brand Weber now has its own space in Maia and looks to the Portuguese market with great expectations of growth.

Weber, the North American brand of premium grills, has just opened its first store in Portugal.

The company, which was born in Chicago more than 70 years ago, intends to boost its activity in the Iberian Peninsula and the new space, located in Maia and called Weber Store Porto, will be the Portuguese starting point in a strategy that includes the Grill Academy, initiative that will offer cooking experiences to customers and those interested in gastronomy, in the sense of offering courses to those looking to learn more about the art of handling a grill.

Officially, Weber started to have an Iberian presence in 2005. But its connection to Portugal has existed for more than 20 years, as a result of the collaboration with Grupo Vicentes, a Maya family company that markets the brand.

And it is precisely in one of the buildings of this partner firm that Weber has just implemented its first premium store.

“Grill gastronomy has a lot to add to, and contribute to, the lifestyle of countries like Portugal. Our partner knows the brand and our values ​​well, he is one of the most loyal and enthusiastic about the brand, so the decision to open the store in Maia was a natural step”, explains Iván Martínez Esteve, Country Sales Manager at Weber Ibérica.

With Weber Store Porto, the company intends to improve the entire shopping experience. “We are a premium brand and the points of sale are 100% focused on end consumers. We will have a highly specialized store, in which the innovation and quality of our products will be one of the main focuses. It is an important economic investment and above all in time and dedication, in the creation of a space with the entire Weber universe present”, adds the same person in charge.

For Vítor Vicente, director of Grupo Vicentes, “this store means the realization of a dream that he had long wanted, which was prepared with a lot of focus and which today becomes a reality. It is an important springboard for the future that we are very satisfied with”.

Currently, among traditional customers, DIY, garden and some large distribution chains, the brand can be found in more than 150 establishments across the country. It sells around 10,000 grills per year and expects to increase these results in the coming years.

“We anticipate an improvement in sales due to greater penetration in different channels. The Iberian market and, in general, all the countries of Southern Europe, have a wide field of development, being able to quickly approach the sales recorded in Central and Northern Europe. Due to the climate and consumer profile, we believe that Portugal could be one of the biggest markets in Southern Europe”, says Iván Martínez Esteve.

The Grill Academy

And what is the Grill Academy all about? Portugal will be the 17th European country to have this concept promoted by Weber.

In practice, we are talking about premium grill cooking courses so that consumers can learn and improve their cooking techniques through the use of grills.

The Grill Academy in Porto will be the first and also appears with the aim of bringing the culture of grilling closer to Portuguese families and demystifying the idea that cooking on a grill is something for specialists.

“We can prepare an unthinkable variety of recipes with them. We have the objective of expanding the culture of grilling and offering excellent grilling courses where we will teach how much it is possible to cook on a grill and on Weber equipment”, concludes Ivan Martínez Esteve.