profile
Paul Edworthy
Paul joined Cuprinol Ltd in 1997 prior to its acquisition by ICI paints in 1998 and subsequently AkzoNobel in 2008. Starting as a Retail Merchandiser, he quickly progressed to Regional Sales Manager and then was promoted to National Account Manager prior to moving to the Trade side of the business in 2007, managing Regional Builders Merchants and Travis Perkins, with the past eight years responsible for Brewers Decorator Centres. Paul now holds the position of Commercial Lead – Builders Merchant Group, responsible for contributing sales in excess of £60 million. In 2016, we launched the Dulux Academy to provide decorators, merchants and suppliers accredited training and event facilities. It soon became a ‘BMF Regional Centre of Excellence’.
Dulux Trade
AkzoNobel, is a global company which creates paints and performance coatings for industry and consumers worldwide. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the company is active in more than 80 countries, and employs approximately 33,000 people. Sales in 2021 were EUR 9.6 billion.
Dulux Trade is the home of painting and decorating excellence, falling under the brand umbrella of AkzoNobel, which includes other leading brands including Cuprinol UK, Polycell UK and Hammerite UK. The range of 4,000 colours and encyclopaedia of trade paint, along with expert help makes Dulux Trade the first choice for decorators and specifiers. More than any other brand, Dulux is widely recognised as a market leader by which others are measured.
Visit: https://www.duluxtradepaintexpert.co.uk.
Follow @DuluxTrade
Launched in 2015, the award winning monthly Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report is the only reliable measure of repair, maintenance & improvement (RMI) activity in the UK. Filling an important gap, it can be widely used in construction, and by economists, Government, national media, commentators and influencers outside the industry.
Dulux Comment: Q1 2024
In the first quarter, the trade paint market experienced a marginal decline of -0.1% in the moving annual total (MAT) growth, attributed to a notable -7.1% decrease in year-on-year volume sales. This dip was primarily influenced by the delayed onset of projects due to extremely wet and subdued weather.
With these projects gaining momentum in April, there’s growing optimism for a resurgence in construction market activity. Many homeowners have navigated extreme volatility in the housing and mortgage market, and increasingly clearer signals of future dynamics are providing increasing confidence. With only one anticipated interest rate reduction in 2024, many face the big decision of whether to move or stay put for another year. As a result, numerous individuals are resuming their painting endeavours, signalling a potential for market recovery in the months ahead.
The effects of a high bank rate continue to mute housing market activity, resulting in fewer housing transactions, especially for newly built properties. While this has led to reports of less paint being used in the new housing sector, recovery has been good for volume used in non-housing and commercial settings. Volume growth is strongest for offices, education and existing social housing repair and maintenance.
Decorative trade paint volume sales to builders’ merchants finished down double digits in Q1 year-on-year, indicating the potential for greater growth in the channel, as it currently lags the performance of the total market.
Reports of workloads from professional decorators remain elevated for the time being, with many exterior projects having been delayed, adding to our expectations that the trade paint market will be robust through 2024 in terms of volumes.
Being close to their customers, their optimism may be justified. GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index showed a further 2-point improvement in consumer confidence in April, following a positive March. While the Overall Index remains negative, all five underlying measures were significantly better this April than they were last April. This includes a +2 score for how consumers feel about their personal finances in the next 12 months, and a 2-point improvement in the Major Purchase Index, which includes larger home improvement projects.