MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

A message from the Editor

This is our 5th annual edition of The Hardware Journal’s Paint & Home Décor Supplement. We seek to bring you, and by extension your customers, inspiration, trends, news, and products. Customers are shopping online and have continued to shop instore despite the health restrictions and that will only increase once we are back to more normal trading conditions. The interest in all things Paint and Décor continues to grow both for interior and exterior.

In this issue Laydex Building Solutions bring you their Teranna Composite Decking allowing your customer to design and build the deck of their dreams. The range is a top choice being eco-friendly and low maintenance.

Dulux Paints have introduced their Dulux Promise meaning that if your customer is not happy with the colour, coverage, or finish of any of their branded product they will replace it and handle all queries directly. They have also launched their new simplified retail colour card. Their Dulux Academy is going from strength to strength with their `Academy Live` platform committed to helping your instore teams to guide customers during the peak season and beyond.

At Fleetwood Paints they are responding to the world we all find ourselves in and are moving their colour consultants online for your customers. Their team of nine professional designers will provide free one-to-one online colour consultations for their hardware store stockists through the year. This personalised experience is tailored to your customers’ interior and exterior needs giving them the correct colour, paint and finish they need for their home.

Leading professional painting tool manufacturer Purdy have just launched their new Painter’s Backpack to the market. First of it`s kind it has been designed to be the ultimate storing system for painting tools. Its ergonomic design with heavy-duty grips, rugged metal zippers and even weight distribution makes it comfortable to carry even when fully loaded. They have also launched their Purdy Pail, a one litre capacity paint bucket designed to make the job of painting even more satisfying and enjoyable for your customer. We asked well know paint retailer Kevin Coghlan to give you some of his thoughts on paint retailing during and post pandemic. With over 40 years of experience specialising in the sector and dealing with both trade customers and consumers he is ideally placed to guide you through the many opportunities you have to make a lasting impression and possibly create customers for life.

Ideal Home Magazine, a bible for many homeowners, brings you some trends and key looks for your customers to follow in 2021. Predicted trends include creating a comforting and nurturing home by mixing modern with vintage ideas and maximising natural light. It appears that homeowners are choosing cosiness to make their home space as desirable as possible.

Manufacturers and distributors of high-quality flooring solutions UNILIN Distribution Ltd are introducing their new Forester range. This will sit alongside their highly successful Quick-Step and Elka brands. Forester will be exclusive to their Irish customers and serviced from their fully stocked warehouse in Newry supported by their excellent customer service colleagues.

AXUS Décor introduce us to Anthony White who heads up their sales team in Ireland and tell us about their goal to make decorating tasks easier while giving impressive results. Their brand ethos centres on product innovation and environmental considerations at always affordable prices making them a very competitive option.

Kilsaran’s new Merrion range of paving flags feature large visible contrasting stone chippings, offering a high-end finish similar to natural stone, granite, or terrazzo. Ideal for your customers` balconies, pathways, and patios they are pre-sealed with Kilsaran K-Seal for full protection and available in three unique finishes Pearl, Sapphire and Quartz.