Thermador Is Losing the Floor in Certain Markets — And It's Not the Products Fault | Steel Cod Retail Council

The Steel Cod Retail Council results are in — and this week they genuinely surprised Jon. Shannon and Jon dig into four questions from the council: outdoor grills and what it costs you when a customer mentions a brand you've never heard of, a question about OEM that apparently needed a definition before anyone could answer it, which brands council members are quietly moving away from and why, and the biggest one — who actually owns affordable luxury in your market? The answers came back all over the map, and they challenge some assumptions Jon walked in with. On the floor confidence question: Samsung, Dacor, and Jenn-Air were predictable. Thermador was not — and Jon has a detailed theory about what's behind it that goes well beyond the product itself. On affordable luxury: brands that Jon considers luxury — Fulgor Milano, Dacor, SKS — are showing up as affordable luxury in certain markets. The takeaway is uncomfortable: national brand strategy means almost nothing if local execution is inconsistent. And with tariffs compressing the gap between affordable and true luxury, the category lines are getting harder to hold everywhere. Also this week: Café is posting real growth and may deserve a second look, and Jon asks whether Steel Cod should publish a public brand tier list. Rate and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. 📧 Questions for the mailbag? Send them to: https://forms.office.com/r/XQLFmqn03F 📧 Apply to Join the Retail Council Here: https://tally.so/r/vGGdq0