The outdoor and camping company, owned by Jarden Corp., has decided that the best way to expand its brand in the European market is by extending its name beyond the Great Outdoors and into the consumers’ backyards. Next Spring, Coleman will be launching at retail a line of barbecue grills of varying specialties and price points, followed by a special high-end barbecue grill designed by Pininfarina, the Italian company that designs Ferraris, to be introduced at retail in June. The new products will be distributed mostly through independent retailers throughout Europe. The mid-priced barbeque grills will be made in China, while the high-end model designed by Pininfarina will be made in Italy.

The idea behind the new barbecues is to reach consumers who prefer to limit themselves to the safety of their own property, rather than venturing into the woods with a Coleman lamp. The Coleman name will at least be brought out to their houses and their backyards to grill hamburgers or hotdogs or what have you. The Ferrari connection comes via Bruno Cercley, Coleman’s recently appointed European manager. He previously ran the Rossignol Group where one of its brands, Lange, had one of its styles of ski boots designed by Pininfarina, which also designed the Olympic torch for the Turin Olympics among many other things.

At a closed event in London where Coleman introduced the barbeque grills to retailers and journalists, officials from Coleman restated the company’s wish to make new acquisitions. Apparel was named as a more likely possibility than footwear in the near term. Coleman is rolling out 180 new SKUs this year. As previously reported, in the 3rd quarter ended Sept. 30 Coleman’s operating profits fell by 11 percent to $12.8 million while revenues slid by 3 percent to $208.4 million.