nd before the final, so there’ll be a lot of really engaged spectators going to see how the teams will perform. We’re really proud of it,” Parker told Inside Retail.  “We’ve had a lot of engagement with a lot of different [athletes] that have spoken at our work events and conferences, and it’s very rewarding to hear these women speak about the impact that sponsorship has on their sporting careers, because it’s what enables them to follow their passion professionally and not have to balance it with [another job]. “Personally, I know a lot of my colleagues are really pleased to be enabling a sporting career for women, and to make it a sustainable option.” How Covid changed the game Competition has been heating up in the barbecue space over the last few years, driven by people investing more time and money in cooking at home during the Covid lockdowns. The trend that has continued since stores have reopened in Sydney and Melbourne.    “What we’ve seen, which has been paralleled across more general retail, is that we’ve had a bit of a rebalancing,” Parker said.  “There are some consumers that still prefer the convenience of online shopping, and some that are enthusiastic about getting back into physical stores. That’s one of the benefits of being an omnichannel business – we can give customers that choice to engage with the brand through the channel that is right for them.” According to Parker, Weber’s online and offline channels offer sharply different experiences. In-store is where the business delivers the “flavour experience“, which showcases the product, and allows people to touch it, feel it, and taste and smell food that has been cooked in situ.  Online, on the other hand, offers a wealth of information for customers to research their potential purchases, and it enables them to pick up additional post-purchase items, and find recipes and cooking instructions tailored to the particular barbecue model they have purchased.  “It educates them on how to get the best possible flavour experience [out of] their particular barbecue,  and it really brings that experience to life because they’re learning in a social way,” Parker said.  Teaching customers how to cook has been part of the business’ ethos from the very beginning, Parker said, and is part of why it has done well Down Under.  New Zealand, the next frontier Earlier this year Weber launched its first store in New Zealand in Wellington, and has since opened two more: one in Auckland, and one in Christchurch. The move is exciting for the business as it’s the first time it has been able to bring the “full Weber retail experience to life” in New Zealand, rather than simply having its products on display at specialist dealers, such as Mitre10.   “We’ve always had a great relationship with consumers in New Zealand, but this is a great opportunity for us to show what we’re able to do in that Weber Store environment,” Parker said.  “If there’s an opportunity for more stores in the future, we can speak to our retail partners in New Zealand and work through that, but for now being in the three main cities is a great starting point. It’s still early days for us, and we’re learning a lot about New Zealanders and how they want to engage with us – so we’ll take that guidance and go from there.”