Weber has appointed a new sales director for the UK and Ireland, with former Keter UK group sales director Chris Howard having joined the barbecue brand from January 2017.
Chris (pictured) said: “I am excited to start a new challenge with such an iconic and market leading brand. I have been relishing the opportunity to join a company that is committed to investing in the category and its retailers. This year will see our biggest investment yet with great product innovation, a major advertising campaign, the rollout of premium fixtures instore and a revamped training experience for store staff.”
The announcement of Chris’s appointment follows the appointment in the latter half of last year of François Lepeltier as general manager, and completes the UK and Ireland senior management team.
François commented: “We’re thrilled to have Chris on board, and now have the team in place to build on and accelerate our growth of recent years, expanding our market leading position. Chris comes in at a key time when we are making significant changes for the benefit of our retailers with a new selective distribution contract and supportive terms, the development of the Weber World partnerships and our biggest product launch in 30 years supported by our largest ever advertising campaign. Chris will prove instrumental in working with our retail partners to implement these initiatives and fulfil the vast potential the barbecue market has to offer.”
