Final episode "Painting is a home improvement center flower shape" - News ONLINE

This is the last episode of the "US -Painting Business View Tour" report held in May this year.On the last day of the inspection process, the main inspection of the retail site of the paint is mainly visited, the first place in the United States, "The Home Depot" and "Lowe's", and the world's largest supermarket chain "Walmart (WALMART)".Visit a store in Las Vegas in Walmart).In each case, with a lot of content visits with interviews with staff, the American paint culture was glimpsed from the retail site of paint.I've heard that "American home improvement stores have a paint corner in the paint corner", but the scene that was exactly that was spreading.

Both Home Depot and Rowes are in the Paint Corner in the Golden Zone right after entering the store.A wide counter with automatic measuring toning machines on the front, color card corner on the left and right, and long product shelves in 5-6 rows behind.It accounts for the largest sales floor area among various corners in the store, such as wood, tools, home care, and electrical appliances.　

At the home depot store, it consists of 13 departments, the annual sales of $ 48 million, and the paint section is $ 5 million (about 600 million yen), the top sales among each department (staff).And a profitable head.The difference between Japan, where the paint corner is a luggage, is the difference between cloud and mud.

The customer base is 4 in general (home depot), compared to 6 contractors (professionals such as professionals, semi -professionals).One gallon can of the emulsion paint has a price for traders, such as $ 30 for a general consumer for $ 30.The payment is almost a credit card, and the card payment has spread as the craftsmen are given a card dedicated to materials from the company.

The preferential treatment of the trader is not only the price.In the Rows store, there is a sales floor exclusively for traders separately from the general public, and it is open early in the morning for craftsmen heading to the site, and simple meals such as muffins and juice are served.You can see how professionals use home centers on a daily basis.

At the paint corner, 5-6 staff are always resident.He is busy working on a constant response of customers who come, responding to color selection consultation, and replenishing products.It seems that the chief class clerk has a movement between the salesplaces, but there are many veterans who are one of the less than that.

Mariana, who responded to the interview in Rows, is a female staff who seems to be still in her twenties."I like VALSPAR paint, such as coloring and one -coat coverage. I can recommend it with my customers. I choose appropriate paint depending on what I paint, get on color consultation, and this job.Is interesting. "I think that if such a staff is in the paint corner, the Japanese home improvement center will be much more.

It is impressive not only in home improvement stores, but also in Wal -Mart who visited after this, and at paint specialty stores reported in the previous issue, are selling paint very confidently.Although it is rooted in life and is widely used as consumer goods, paint requires some expertise.For this reason, sales staff plays an advisor role, which has led to a dignified sales attitude.I envy the paint sales floor.

In addition, we will report some unique scenes seen at home improvement stores.

What is "Wups Paint"?

Home Depot has a paint brand that is carrying mainly, such as "BEHR" and "VALSPAR", and visitors select the color you want from the color card corner (several hundred colors) of each brand installed at the store.Bring it into the counter.The general purchasing style is to bring back the paint mixed with an automatic measuring toning machine according to the color formulation.

At this time, there are customers who return without paying the fee, such as "I don't like the color I chose" and "the color is slightly shifted", and those products have been "Woops Paint (WOOPS = failed.") Is likely to be resold.

Since it is a great discount to about 20 % of the list price, Wups Paint is also popular for those who are good in any color or those who use it for undercoat.However, it seems that the original purchaser will make it completely different so that it does not buy back, and the home center has also done it.

Who are you guys?

After the visit to the home improvement, you can see that the Latin American people are hanging out everywhere in the parking lot.In fact, they are those who are trying to get a job, saying, "Would you like to paint a paint?"

In the United States, the style of "DIFM" has recently appeared.DIFM is an abbreviation for Do It for me, and ask someone who is not yourself to work.It seems that the increase in dual -income households has become unable to spend time in DIY and the increase in household income seems to be increasingly paying for home maintenance.

Latin American people waiting at the exit of the home improvement store.If he couldn't get a job in the morning, he would have no hope for the day, and in the afternoon, a relaxed sight, such as chatting and taking a nap in the shade of a tree.

A housewife buys paint?

In the afternoon, we visited the world's largest supermarket chain "Walmart".This is a type of store called a super center, and "everything is available" is a one -stop store in Uri.Although it is a supermarket, there is a paint corner, and Wal -Mart PB paint is sold on the same floor as meat and vegetables.It's like Ito -Yokado has set up a paint corner and sells its own brands, and is an unlikely business format in Japan.

Like a home improvement store, a clerk is a mixing (automatic measuring color machine) from a colored chip selected by customers.There are only supermarkets, and there are many women, and the housewife who came to buy food and daily necessities, "Speaking of which, we have to repain the walls of the room soon", and paint on everyday life as "buying".Is rooted.Paint B to C. The symbolic scenes of consumer demand, which are suitable for this tour aimed at inspection of the business, were spreading.

stay tuned

This newspaper's "US -paint business inspection tour" was highly evaluated by the members who participated as "generally satisfied."Due to the spread of those voices, other people in the industry have already requested that they want to hold the next one.I'm thinking of a similar project next year, so if you have a reader saying "Let's go," please contact our company (Izumi).There is no doubt that it will be a stimulus, an inspection tour in the United States, the home of the paint.