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Outback Lp Gas Barbecues Are a Matter of Taste

Earlier this year, lpg barbecue supplier Outback was taken over by shareholder China-based TPA. After his first 100 days at the helm of Outback UK, chief executive Mark Osborne says he is confident the company will continue to build on its success to date.

In spite of a difficult economy that certainly adds challenges for everyone in the lifestyle marketplace, I’ve been pleased with the trade response to the traditionally high seasonal demand for the Outback lp gas barbecue range this year. Good weather in early summer saw an earlier than usual peak to consumer demand and our products were flying off the shelves as early as April and May.

This impressed the chairman and directors of Outback’s new owner and Chinese supplier TPA Metals & Machinery, who called in at our Coventry headquarters during a European visit from Shenzhen. We share our Coventry base with Unipart Leisure & Marine, a new partner for Outback and TPA Engineering since the takeover, which now provides its distribution and storage expertise as an added company strength, allowing the sales and marketing side of our business to focus on growing our brands.

Previously a family owned business started in 1979, Outback was purchased in March this year by majority shareholder TPA. TPA is a leading global manufacturer in the lpg gas industy for domestic and commercial appliances, with Calor, Shell and BP among its customers, as well as a worldwide reputation and market for its lpg barbecues, key lp gas and valve regulators, cylinders, heaters and camper appliances.

Since then, Outback UK has underlined its commitment to a quality portfolio with two new products for 2012, award-winning tributes, and a catchy barbecue marketing theme based on ‘It’s simply a matter of taste’.

We unveiled the new Comet Sear Gas model, which features the latest barbecue cooking technique with its own high-speed sear burner, and the Plancha Gas series with its continental-style cast iron cooking plate, at the Solex exhibition at Telford in July, and were delighted with the positive response from trade buyers visiting our stand. We also launched our 2012 new look full colour Outback trade brochure at the show to reinforce the tasty benefits available to both trade and consumers looking ahead to next year.

In today’s highly competitive outdoor leisure marketplace, Outback executives were delighted when a selection of its barbecues scooped premium places in recent independent surveys carried out by consumer watchdog Which? and lifestyle editors on the Mail On Sunday newspaper. Expert testers were invited by Which? to sample 22 barbecues from across the supply chain, and they rated three Outback models as Best Buys, while the Mail On Sunday’s survey panel awarded Outback its only five-star accolade.

The Outback Spectrum 3 Burner Hooded lp gas barbecue, the Excel 300 lpg barbecue and the Omega 200 charcoal barbecue were singled out by Which?, while the Mail On Sunday selected the Outback Gas Meteor as its only five-star lifestyle buy, with a four-star rating for the Omega 200.

I think it’s true to say that, while there are chilly economic times ahead, Outback is more than capable of adding some heat into the lp gas barbecue marketplace, and proving that, for us, it’s simply a matter of taste.

Contact Outback UK on 02476 466461 www.outbackbarbecues.com

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