Ian Wheatley, National Sales Manager who heads the UK operation says: “The Napoleon Gourmet Grills brand launched in the UK in 2000 and it has seen steady growth since. The UK’s love of outdoor dining and entertaining is increasing, in part due perhaps to the current economic climate making consumers look to holiday in the UK and entertain at home rather than eat out. It is a key strategic market that now merits a dedicated operation to support growing demand for our gourmet grills, outdoor kitchens and outdoor ambience products.

“With Napoleon Gourmet Grills you get unparalleled innovation and attention to detail. Research has shown that men are the main drivers for buying and cooking on the household barbecue. These budding barbecue chefs are going to be really excited by the range of patented features and gadgets that Napoleon Gourmet Grills can offer.”

The Napoleon Gourmet Grills range includes cart and built-in gas grills, charcoal grills, portable grills, beautifully crafted outdoor kitchens, outdoor heating and waterfalls to add ambience to the outdoor dining experience. Unique charcoal trays are designed to fit most of Napoleon’s gas grills offering the choice of original charcoal style cooking in a gas grill, and new for 2010 are a range of innovative features that include WAVE cooking grids to provide a greater cooking surface and more even heat, self cleaning sear plates for reduced flare ups, and stainless steel infrared burners on its Prestige line.

Which are your best selling lines/designs?

The Prestige is our premier range and has a bombproof heritage having been tried and tested in Canada’s extreme climate and it is proving to be a winner here. The new LE and SE models have the same engineered quality as the Prestige but the styling has been very much developed with the European customer in mind and these models are also proving popular.

Where are you based and how many people do you employ?

Located in Berkswell within 6 miles of the Birmingham International Airport, NEC and M42, Wolf Steel’s UK office combines desk space with a show room to house permanent displays and warehousing facilities.

The UK office employs 6 people to include sales, marketing and administration support. National Sales Manager, Ian Wheatley heads Napoleon Gourmet Grills in the UK supported by sales professionals, Jon Critchlow and Martin Sobey.

Ian Wheatley says: “I am delighted to lead the UK operation. In North America, Napoleon Gourmet Grills is a market leader both in quality and product innovation. A UK presence for Napoleon will certainly give competitors something to be concerned about!”

Do you have a company/brand philosophy?

We live and breathe barbecue grilling and this is reflected in our product design and the people we employ. In the rest of the world, we are recognised as specialists in both charcoal and gas grills. In the UK, however we aim to build the brand to be the best in gas grilling. Gas is more spontaneous and more easily suits the UK climate and offers the outdoor dining experience with the convenience of gas grilling.

Your satisfaction is our guarantee; Napoleon Gourmet Grills provides comprehensive warrantees with all of its grills and on the Prestige line, the President’s Lifetime Guarantee ensures your customers will always be catered for should anything go wrong with their grill.

Napoleon aims to be at the forefront of development in grilling technology and this speaks for itself in the number of unique features the consumer gets when buying one of our grills.

In which countries are your products sold?

The grills are available in North and Central America, throughout Europe and the United Kingdom.

How popular are outside kitchens in North America?  Do you expect this trend for outdoor living to spread to the UK?

Outdoor kitchens are an area that we are keen to explore in the UK in future. In the current economic climate we believe that householders may choose to improve their properties rather than move and this is where adding an outdoor kitchen can really help provide an additional living space to be enjoyed.

How do you market your products?

We work closely with the DIY and Garden Centre trade media placing both editorial, features and advertising. You will also see us in a range of retail Yearbooks. We are about to launch our consumer public relations campaign which combines editorial placement with competitions, online promotions and event sponsorship.

What are your targeted retail outlets for Napoleon Gourmet Grills?

Garden Centres, DIY Retail and Department Stores as well as a small selection of hand picked online retail sites.

Which qualities distinguish Napoleon Gourmet Grills from its competitors?

The build is second-to-none. At GLEE in September visitors to the stand were amazed by the number of features that are available at the price point. The quality and quantity of the features makes the brand really strong in today’s market.

Any famous customers?

In America there are several celebrities that have bought the brand but we aren’t able to mention individuals. The brand is well known and is set to feature in two Hollywood big screen movies; Larry Crowne directed by and starring Tom Hanks with Julia Roberts, and a new Jennifer Aniston film, Earthbound. In the UK we have sold models to several celebrities but again, we aren’t able to mention names. Our website may feature more news about some of these celebrities in future, so watch this space!

How do we contact you?

01676 522788

www.napoleongrills.co.uk

info@napoleonproducts.co.uk

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