Update: The Paint Shop creates superstore, to rebuild retail network

The Paint Shop, a specialist in mixed paints and distributor of foreign brands, has relocated to a larger, newly built complex at Upper Waterloo Road in Kingston, which will operate as a superstore as the company positions to go after more market share.

Simon Todd, who acquired the paint retailer five years ago from Malcolm McDonald, says he is looking to grow sales in the household paint segment, mainly through the PPG brand that The Paint Shop distributes locally.

He is in the process of reforming the company's business model – that is, moving from a single shop operation to one that incorporates a superstore with smaller retail paint shops, five of which are to be added over time, likely in Savanna-la-Mar, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Portland and Mandevillle. The store plans and timetable for roll-out are still being finalised.

The new complex at 51 Upper Waterloo was developed on lands acquired by Todd. It spans 16,000 square feet and is 1.5 times larger than the operation The Paint Shop had on Constant Spring Road that the new complex replaces.

The Paint Shop, which has been in business for seven decades and various owners, supplies mixed paints and is a distributor of the PPG, Benjamin Moore and Lanco brands. It supplies the automotive, industrial, commercial and residential markets. Its PPG products have mainly been supplied to automotive trade, but now Todd says he is looking to make inroads into the household market.

“PPG and Sherwin are trading places as the two largest paint companies in the world. We have been carrying the PPG car paint since 1995, but we are now offering PPG decorative paints to the market,” he told the Financial Gleaner.

“This property is much more efficient because things are placed how we want them to be and we can carry the new line now ... ,” he said.

The company already scored business for the PPG decorative paints when it was selected as the supplier of paints for the H-10 hotel in Trelawny. It's now adding more products to the decorative line at the Upper Waterloo superstore, targeted at commercial businesses, developers of residential real estate and single-family households.

“PPG has the strongest offering of waterborne car paints and they're bringing that technology to house paints. So, you can expect the house paints to benefit from the technology that they use in automotive paints. We have a product called Sun-proof that we will be pushing in the market,” Todd said.

The Paint Shop was established by William Wilson in 1949 and for most of its history operated under the name William Wilson Limited. Over the years, the business, which is seen as a pioneer in paint mixing in Jamaica, has changed hands at least three times, the last deal occurring in 2016 when Todd took it over.

At its peak, The Paint Shop had six outlets, which shrank by half over time. Now, in addition to the one store in Kingston, the company operates two others in Ocho Rios and Mandeville.

For years, The Paint Shop has set itself apart from the competition with its water-based and high-quality paint offerings, but its strong suit, Todd said, has been in the mixing of paint colours.

“Paint is a specialised product and when we looked at the business, we thought that in order to provide a better quality of service it was better to consolidate the businesses. So, we have scaled back but we will regroup and move forward again,” he said.

In the short term, Todd's plan is to increase revenue from new products and market segments. As sales climb and the business strengthens, he will then add the smaller retail outlets to the network. It will mimic the model used by large paint manufacturers like Sherwin Williams, Berger Paints, EdgeChem and BH Paints who oftentimes set up shops in hardware stores, he said.

“If you look at some of the technical businesses in Jamaica, they usually have one super location and then retail outlets. That's what we planned to do from when we took it over in 2016, so it's just a matter of progression,” Todd told the Financial Gleaner.

Todd declined to disclose the company's investment in the Upper Waterloo complex. The company is still in the middle of relocating some company equipment but officially opened for business there last week.

karena.bennett@gleanerjm.com

Update: This story has been updated to reflect that The Paint Shop currently operates three stores.