Home Depot's in-store gas grill sales grew 12% this summer, from $228.2M to $255.6M (March to September 2026 vs. 2025), while the number of grill models in stock across its stores fell 12.7%. The growth came from productivity, not breadth. Sales per model, per store rose 28%, from $5,257 to $6,750. Fewer models, each selling faster, more than covered what the cut models used to bring in.
A Loud Year for Grills
Grills had plenty of noise around them in 2026. On its Q2 FY26 earnings call, Lowe's said competitors used tariff refunds to cut seasonal prices in July, including grills. Lowe's said it chose not to match those cuts. Traeger and Lowe's also said Traeger is joining Lowe's grill lineup, with product loading in Q4 and a full launch in spring 2027.
Statements describe intent, not what sold. Datavations tracked in-store gas grill sales at Home Depot and Ace Hardware across the March to September season. The figures below include online orders picked up in store and exclude ship-to-home.
How Did Home Depot Grow Grill Sales With Fewer Models?
Home Depot narrowed its in-store gas grill assortment by 12.7% and still grew dollars 12.0% and units 9.9%. The math breaks into two pieces. The models Home Depot cut back cost about $29M in sales compared with last summer. The models it kept sold faster and added about $56M. Net result: $228M last summer became $256M this summer.
The key metric is sales per model, per store. It measures how much each grill on the floor sells in each location, which strips out the effect of simply stocking more products. At Home Depot it rose 28%, from $5,257 to $6,750.
Category-level data hides this. A growing topline can come from a broad assortment or a narrow one carried by a few strong models. You only see which at the model and store level.
What Happened to Grill Prices This Season?
Peak season sold at a lower price than last year. From May to July, Home Depot's typical gas grill sold at $299, compared with $349 a year earlier. "Typical" here means the sales-weighted median shelf price: the price point where the middle of the volume actually sold.
Then the price reset. In August, the base price moved to $449 with a $399 sale price. In-store units fell 38% from July to August. The same seasonal move in 2025 was a 17% drop, so this year's August decline was more than double.
Some of that drop is normal end-of-season cooling. The size of the gap shows how much volume sat at the $299 price point.
Which Brands Won at Home Depot?
Two brands now take 95% of Home Depot's in-store gas grill dollars, up from 83% last year. Nexgrill's share rose from 48.4% to 58.5%, adding $39.1M in in-store sales. Weber's share rose from 34.9% to 36.3%, adding $13.1M. Megamaster slipped from 4.4% to 3.4%. All other brands combined fell from 12.3% to 1.8%.
Most of the lost spots came from brands that shrank in-store. Note that these figures are share of one retailer's in-store dollars, not total market share. For a brand outside the top two, that distinction matters: a brand can lose a retailer's floor even when its national demand holds up.
Did Every Region Follow the Same Pattern?
Yes. In-store sales grew in every mainland region, and every region carried fewer models. Sales per model, per store rose between 22% and 33%.
Central led, with sales up 23.0% on 7.1% fewer models and sales per model, per store up 32.4%. West grew 16.5% with 10.9% fewer models. Midwest grew 13.1% with 14.6% fewer. South grew 11.3% and Southwest 10.7%. Northeast grew 7.6% despite the deepest model cut, at 17.2%.
How Does Ace Hardware's Grill Aisle Compare?
Ace runs a very different floor. From July to September 2026, Ace stores sold gas grills from 24 brands, compared with 9 at Home Depot, and 205 gas grill models compared with 83. Weber is Ace's anchor brand, taking about 60% of Ace's in-store grill dollars every month of the season.
The mix differs too. Pellet grills were 17% of in-store grill dollars at Ace versus 8% at Home Depot. Ace's floor was 62% gas, 17% pellet, 12% smokers and 9% charcoal. Home Depot's was 76% gas, 8% pellet, 7% charcoal and 7% portable.
For a manufacturer, one grill strategy won't fit both doors. Home Depot is rewarding a few fast-turning models. Ace carries breadth, specialty formats and a strong anchor brand. Seeing both side by side takes cross-retailer visibility, because your merchant's POS only shows what's inside their four walls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are grill sales up or down in 2026?
At Home Depot, in-store gas grill sales rose 12.0% from March to September 2026, reaching $255.6M. Units grew 9.9%. The growth came from fewer models selling faster, with sales per model, per store up 28%.
Why did Home Depot carry fewer grill models in 2026?
Home Depot stocked 12.7% fewer gas grill models across its stores. The models it cut back accounted for about $29M in lost sales, but the models it kept added about $56M. The tighter assortment concentrated sales on models that sold faster.
Who has the biggest share of gas grill sales at Home Depot?
Nexgrill leads with 58.5% of Home Depot's in-store gas grill dollars, followed by Weber at 36.3%. Together they hold about 95%, up from 83% in the prior season.
Is Lowe's going to carry Traeger grills?
Yes. Traeger and Lowe's both said on their Q2 FY26 earnings calls that Traeger is joining Lowe's grill lineup. Product loads in Q4 2026, with a full launch in spring 2027.
Sell grills into Home Depot, Lowe's or Ace? Datavations can walk you through your brand's store-floor read, Lowe's included. Every SKU. Every store. Every sale. Reach out to see your category.
Watch the Full Deep Dive
For the complete video walkthrough, including the charts and the Ace Hardware comparison, watch the Grills Market Deep Dive below, or view it on the Insights Hub.
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