Weber’s UK launch of the upgraded Genesis barbecue at Glee yesterday heralded what will be the company’s biggest ever marketing campaign when it kicks off next spring.

Genesis has been a popular top-end gas barbecue since the original hit the market in 1985, but the new range, split between entry level Genesis II and the premium Genesis LX, includes a host of flexible model options to appeal to a wider audience than ever and hit affordable as well as luxury price points. Two-, three-, four- and six-burner options will be available on both platforms when the range reaches retail in January.

Marketing director Chris Trewhitt says next year’s Genesis marketing campaign will launch on 18 March in the run-up to the 2017 barbecuing season and will include TV ads.

Other big news from Weber at Glee today includes the UK launch of iGrill, the digital thermometer that links to a digital cooking temperature display and can cooking data to an iPad app.

There is also a compact Weber shop-in-shop merchandising option borrowing many of the elements of the full Weber World shops but on a footprint that is around 20% smaller yet can still display 34 grills.

Chris says the training of retail staff will continue to be a major priority for Weber. “There’s nothing better when you’re shopping than a member of staff you can trust because they have the right knowledge,” he said.