January 30th, 2012
Window display at Stockton's Paint.
There are few things more attention-grabbing in a paint and decorating center than a creative, well-executed display. As part of PDRA’s “Retailer to Retailer” initiative, here are the thoughts from two retailers about how they do their store displays and their display philosophies.
Stockton’s Paint of Bellingham, Wash., uses a variety of ever-changing displays, with owner and manager Casey Gordziel believing that they are critical to sales. “When creating a display, I always try to remember that the arrangement is a silent salesperson. I use it to draw attention to new products or slower moving products,” she said.
“Many times after I replace a display with new products, my regular contractors will stop and ask me what the new display is all about. It opens the dialogue for me to educate and sell the products,” Gordziel continued. “The goal is always to have an increase in sales for the specific products just arranged in a new display.”
Stockton’s mostly uses end-cap displays to feature select items but window displays also get a lot of attention. “Our store is located in downtown Bellingham, so there is a good number of people that walk along the sidewalk in front of our window” Gordziel explained. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Store displays
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January 9th, 2012
Rebecca Dumas
The first edition of “Retailer to Retailer” makes its debut in Paint & Decorating Retailer’s January 2012 issue. This is a feature in which you, the retailer, share your thoughts, advice, wisdom and experience with other retailers in the industry. Each edition of “Retailer to Retailer” will include advice for retailers on how to succeed in specific product categories or how to improve their business. In the January issue, the topic is succeeding with faux-finishing sales. In the February issue, retailers share their advice on effective store displays.
“Retailer to Retailer” will also feature a “Q&A” with a member of the PDRA Board of Directors. In our January issue, we chatted with PDRA Board member Rebecca Dumas, Gregory’s Paint & Flooring, Johns Creek, Ga. Here is what she had to say.
Q: Can you provide a bit of background about you and your store?
A: My husband managed a store in 1993, then opened his own store in 1997. I left my very lucrative job selling corrugated packaging to help him in the store. I went back to school in the evenings to get an additional degree in interior design to provide services for the store. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Rebecca Dumas, Retailer to Retailer, Social Media
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December 29th, 2011
AkzoNobel Color of the Year
AkzoNobel, the world’s largest paint manufacturer, has named Terra Cotta Rose, a blushing, lively and juicy red as its 2012 Color of the Year.
Migrating from a citrus yellow, the 2011 Color of the Year, AkzoNobel’s color experts believe that color trends overall are “progressing into something more confident and robust” as we head into 2012, with “possibilities” selected as the dominant theme.
This is in keeping with a AkzoNobel’s color trend analysis, which identified take-charge optimism as a major influence for 2012. Akin to a political party convention, AkzNobel’s color experts from all parts of the globe gather annually in September Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: AkzoNobel, color trends
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December 8th, 2011
Posted by Diane Capuano
The sales picture for independent paint and decorating stores was relatively flat, with reports indicating growth of less than 1 percentage point in the third quarter. A 0.4 uptick in sales is still better than a negative figure, however. And on an even more positive note, the average independent paint and decorating retailer has been in positive sales territory through the first three quarters of 2011. Year-to-date sales show positive growth of 1.8 percent.
The strongest growth continues to be in the Northeast, which posted sales growth of 2.9 percent for the third quarter and 4.5 percent for the first nine months of the year. Lagging behind are the South and Midwest (at 3.2 and 1.1 year-to-date sales growth Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Paint Industry Research, retail sales
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December 2nd, 2011
Posted by: Diane Capuano
“Retailer To Retailer” is Paint & Decorating Retailer magazine’s new reader initiative that puts you, the paint store owner, manager or employee, front and center as part of our editorial coverage. In each issue, readers will provide their greatest ideas, anecdotes and advice to other readers about such vital topics of the day as customer service, social media, marketing, advertising and more—truly a way for retailers to learn from other retailers.
We would like to invite any paint and decorating retailer (store owner, manager or employee) to participate in “Retailer to Retailer” by sharing your thoughts on any of the topics listed below by the specified deadline for each issue. Then, follow these four steps: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Retailer to Retailer
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November 28th, 2011
Via Press Release
U.S. households are expected to spend an average of $497 on gifts this holiday season, The Conference Board reported early this month. Only 7 percent of consumers said they plan to spend more on holiday gifts this year, while approximately 40 percent plan on spending less than last year.
The survey of holiday gift spending intentions, based on a probability-design random sample, is conducted for The Conference Board by Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and analytics around what consumers buy and watch. The survey was conducted for The Conference Board in October.
“As the holiday season approaches, we once again find consumers in a frugal mood,” says Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: consumer spending
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November 11th, 2011
Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue
Posted by Diane Capuano
With 2012 just around the corner, quite a few national and regional paint manufacturers are releasing their color trend forecasts for the coming year. Common threads seem to be the use of color as a remedy to what ails us—whether it be a splash of bold color to lift our mood or a tranquil color to provide a backdrop for a peaceful retreat.
Here are specific color forecasts from five of the paint industry’s most well-known paint manufacturers:
Benjamin Moore: Blue Will Be Big
Benjamin Moore color experts are forecasting that blue will be big in 2012 as the population seeks out a sense of calm, trust, and the tried-and-true. The paint company’s top color pick for the coming year is Wythe Blue HC-143, a blue green hue with a cool gray cast to it.
“It’s interesting that Wythe Blue is from our historical color collection,” said Sonu Mathew, ASID, IIDA and Benjamin Moore’s senior interior designer. “We’ve actually cited it because it has a modern edge, yet it’s so rooted in history and is respectful of what’s classic and enduring.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Benjamin Moore, color trends, Dunn-Edwards, Kelly-Moore, PPG, Sico
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November 1st, 2011
Posted by Diane Capuano
If you’d like to enter an online conversation with other paint and decorating store owners, request to join the Paint & Decorating Retailers Association (PDRA) group on Linked In.
This group is for independent retail paint and decorating store owners. PDRA membership is not required to participate in this group, but it is encouraged.
To participate in the PDRA group on Linked In, here’s all you do: If you are already a member of Linked In, sign in, go to the Groups Directory page and type “PDRA” or “Paint & Decorating Retailers Association” in the field under “Search Groups.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: PDRA, Social Media
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October 31st, 2011
Posted by Diane Capuano
Social media has emerged as another potential way for promoting your business, but can sending a Tweet or a text message help bring people through the front door of the retail store? Can launching a Facebook page add rings to your cash register? The answer is: Like all forms of advertising and promotion, it depends upon how you use it.
Ward Partridge, VP of Marketing for CBC Computer Systems, provides some valuable advice on using social networking and texting as a way to promote a retail business.
“Deciding if these fit your business strategy and if they are worth the efforts requires careful consideration,” Partridge said. “Also, you may want to wait to see how these networks mature and if they are really suitable for promoting your local business.”
Partridge advised retail store owners to start by considering which social sites their customers and prospective customers use and how they use them. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Social Media
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October 17th, 2011
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) have partnered again this October to observe National Window Covering Safety Month.
Since 1990, more than 200 infants and young children have died from accidentally strangling in window cords, according to information provided by the CPSC. This month-long, nationwide campaign is designed to increase consumer awareness of potential window-cord hazards, as well as to urge parents and caregivers of young children to only use cordless window products in homes with young children and to replace all window coverings in the home made before 2001 with today’s safer products.
National Window Covering Safety Month will emphasize the following basic window-cord safety rules from WCSC:
- Install only cordless window coverings in homes with young children. Replace window blinds, corded shades and draperies manufactured before 2001 with today’s safer products. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: consumer safety, window coverings
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