DIY Paint Retailing
The Hague, The Netherlands, 10 - 11 May 2004
Over 90 delegates, mostly with a marketing background, gathered at The Congress Centre in The Hague to participate in the first ever conference on DIY Paint Retailing, organised by the Paint Research Association.
Eighteen papers were presented, split into four ½ day sessions -
- The Market Background
- Legislation and Environmental Issues
- Understanding Colour
- New Products & Services
Two papers in particular were of wide interest in addressing the needs of the market. Edward Appleton, Market Research & Communications Manager at Rohm and Haas, described changes in performance satisfaction levels and identified new marketing tools and product opportunities. Another key paper on customer needs was by Matt Sexton, Acting Director of Home Improvement at B&Q Ltd, Europe's largest DIY retailer. His talk on "The view from a Paint Retailer" covered B&Q's approach to VOC's, branding and strategic partnerships, and their needs in terms of innovation and quality. The content could be described as essential reading for paint companies and raw material suppliers wishing to do business with B&Q.
Very useful market data presentations were made by Louis McCulloch, previously editor of The Coatings Agenda, on "The European DIY Retail Market in a Global Context", and Helma Jotischky, editor of the PRA's Coatings COMET publication, on the topical subject of Paint Retailing in Central and Eastern Europe. The paper by Jacques Warnon, Technical Director of CEPE, described the current status of the EU Directive on VOC emissions in Decorative Paints, which will be published shortly, with a prognosis on how the Directive may be revised in the future to set stricter limits.
