... Methinks he hasn't been reading his Weber dealer literature lately...
So many dealers are really only Weber (or for that matter, grilling) dealers by some random accident of history. When Apple's growth boom happened after Jobs came back to the company, he noticed that most dealers weren't ... shall we say, very committed, and the Apple Stores soon emerged.
If the U.S ever sees another big grilling boom that isn't merely based on Yet More $500 Disposable Gassers, Weber should be poised to actually open stores here, or at least partner with dedicated retailers like they do in Europe with extensive displays. Weber certainly knows that a grill is no longer just a piece of hardware like a garden hose or hot water heater. But they've allowed themselves to be locked into this relationship with hardware stores for quaintly irrelevant reasons!
For every Ace that has some higher-end Weber models, there are likely a dozen or more that have a couple basic kettles clogging an aisle and huge space devoted to BGE. I get that local franchise owners can choose what to offer but it means only a very few will be "legit" dealers who know the product and have it, too.
Speaking of (some) Ace, and well ... Home Depot/Lowe's ... there's one Weber I see at all three here, and it's the go-to-the-head-of-the-class S-670, which stands out as a big honkin' F-U to all the flimsy pretenders nearby. I don't know if Weber hopes for the Summit Charcoal to be more prominent or not, but getting it into these stores would really help. It doesn't have to sell, just as HD/Lowe's probably don't sell many S-670's. I fail to see how anyone looking at a Char-Griller or even an Oklahoma Joe wouldn't be impressed at what else is available.