Luxury and Technology Dominate Innovations for 2003 Fireplace and Barbecue Trade Show

Business Wire, March 4, 2003

Lifestyle Editors

2003 Hearth, Patio & Barbecue EXPO

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 2003

Consumer need for creature comforts and gadgetry fuels advances in

indoor and outdoor hearth, patio and barbecue products as well as

design ideas

As North Americans' passion for adding creature comforts to the home continues to thrive, exhibitors at the 2003 Hearth, Patio & Barbecue EXPO are preparing to debut innovations that introduce greater luxury while making fireplaces and barbecues easier to use and more enjoyable. These new products and design ideas will be featured at EXPO, March 6-8, 2003 at the Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.

"Our industry is evolving rapidly in response to consumers' desire to add a warmer, lived-in feeling to their homes where they can kick back or entertain," said Carter Keithley, CEO and president of the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), organizers of the trade show. "EXPO now features gorgeous and technologically-sophisticated fireplaces for every room or mood, imaginative new ways to accessorize outdoor living spaces, and no-hassle products that help people create culinary magic on the grill."

While manufacturers are tight-lipped about their new 2003 product offerings until the curtain rises at EXPO, there are currently more than 100 new products slated for debut at the show. A sneak preview of hearth products reveals: a dramatic gas fireplace with 30-inch flames and the goal of aesthetics over efficiency; outdoor gas fireplaces; an increased number of electric fireplaces and corn stoves; contemporary fireplace accessories; limestone fireplace surrounds from Israel; thermostatic remote controls for fireplaces; and, exotic finishes for fireplace doors. The line-up of new barbecue products includes: more choices in islands with built-in grills; expanded variety of outdoor appliances; new variations of grill cooking systems that incorporate infra-red technology; gas grills enhanced with supplemental charcoal cooking capabilities; and, grills with digital controls that make outdoor cooking virtually foolproof.

This interest in adding creature comforts to the home is fueling the hearth, patio and barbecue industries' growth to more than nine billion dollars annually. Recent studies show that 55 million households have at least one fireplace, including more than 58 percent of new homes built in 2001. Some houses have as many as five fireplaces.

Grills remain an extremely popular option for homes. Approximately 85 percent of families now own a grill, and more than 15.2 million barbecue grills were shipped in the reporting year ending in June 2002. And, the outdoor room trend continues to take off with more than $160 billion in remodeling dollars spent on outdoor home improvements in 2001. The focus on the outdoor room will be a major emphasis at the 2003 EXPO.

The EXPO trade show floor will feature the wares of a variety of manufacturers, including: fireplaces, barbecue grills and accessories, patio heaters, chimineas, firepits, pools and spas, indoor casual and outdoor furniture, and patio accessories.

For more information about the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue EXPO, visit www.hpba.org or call 703/522-0086.