Toning up the paint department

ll oT PRICE. Not service, Not l! variety. Perhaps the greatest factor in paint selection is color. And with increasingly sophisticated, fashion conscious customers, it pays to know hue's who.

Story at a Glance

Selling color is key to merchandising paint... jeweltones and textures are in... southwestern colors still hot.

Colors follow distinct fashion cycles. Changes, while not always gradual, are usually progressional. Consumers have made major investments in semi-permanent home furnishings, such as furniture, carpeting, countertops and appliances, so new shades must be compatible with the colors already in place. The ideal is to take the '80s look into the '90s.

"We'll be seeing brighter, more saturated colors in the '90s, jewel tones like aquamarine, amethyst and emerald green," says Chris McKenna, vice president/marketing, Plasti-Kote Co., Inc.

These colors are replacing the now overexposed mauve and grayblues of the 1980s. But the new jewel tones blend nicely with the earlier shades, providing an easy, instant update.

"Southwestern colors, which everyone thought would quickly be 'in' and then 'out', are getting stronger," he says. "We'll continue to see lots of corals, some violets and teals. "

And white, McKenna says, is stronger than ever. New grayedwhites and yellow-whites aim for a pristine yet cozy look. Out is the slick, perfect, untouchable white. In are casual, natural, creamy, soft offwhites.

To contrast neutral backgrounds, textured surfaces provide interest. Many manufacturers now offer simulated stone, granite and marble "fleck" coatings.

A growing number of retailers are using computers to achieve these new colors. Some systems quickly analyze color swatches to produce the right paint formula. Some computer design systems feature color visualizers to allow consumers to review on-screen layouts in different color combinations.

The key is to stay in step with design conscious shoppers. "Working with these interior-aware consumers and offering them the latest new looks will keep retail profits looking good." McKenna says.

Add-On Opportunities

Many retailers offer low margins on the paint itself and make up the difference on accessories. Reminding customers not to forget the brushes or the rollers may save them a trip back to the.store - in the middle of their project. And they'll see the suggestion as a favor rather than a sales olov.

So keep handy: brushes, roller covers and frames, sprayers, mixing sticks, trays, lid lifters, can handles, brush rests, pour spouts, spray texture machines, extension poles, tape, drop cloths, surface preparation materials, thinners, scrapers and turpentine.

LNI lE\q,ys lnj)_il_I lE l-F S

I.ou,t,'.s ('os. lnt., ranked 46th by ('hain .Storc 'lga f ysg111iv1t magazine in a list ol' the top 100 retailers, opcned a replacement store in Tallahassee, l;1., and selected sites for rclocating the Albemarle, N.C., and Opelika, Al.,units...

Stripling lllukc ltmhcr ('o.. Austin, Tx., hacl high losses in a recent l'irc (see p. 38 for story) R(ardot hunbcr ('o.. Bearden, Ar., an ,.lntlron.v Tinrherlands-managcd company, had $4 million in clamages in a late Sept. fire (see p. 17 tor story)

.Scotty's celebrated the grand reopening of an Ocoee, Fl., store. .. IIt'chingu (ir. plans to close its Newport News, Va., store and convert several other stores lo [torne Quarters ll/areIrousc units (see l). l7 for story)

Oausew,a.v Lumber Co., [;ort Lauderdale, F'l.. opened a hollow metal door plant at its Boca Raton, F l., operation

Tlrc Pary (b., Piney Flats, Tn., received an award for having the best buying team of building products companies with retail sales of $25-100 million

Buildcrs Erpress leased a site in Topeka, Ks., for store No. 3 . Home Depot set Feb. l, l991 , as the date for dividing the Southeast region into a MidSouth div. (Tn., S.C., Atlanta, Ga., Dallas, Tx., Huntsville, Al., and Shreveport, La.) and a Southern div. (FI., Savannah, Ga., Mobile, Al., Houston, Tx., New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La.), which will base in Tampa, Ft. ,

84 Lumber closed and sold a Nashville, Tn., site ... Jones Supply Co., Hattiesburg, MS., closed Oct. 20 Cotter Lumber

('o.. Little Rock. Ar.. closed after 88 ycars.

Sir James (ioldsmith is selling ('aw'nhont lttrast lrulustric.s to Sir (iordon Whitc, llunxmls tJ.S. chiel, lirr $1.3 billion and buying a 49"h stake in thc llritish llrm's N(v,ntlnt Mitting, a LJ.S. company, lor $1.3 billion. .

Mobile. Al.. Nashville and Mcmphis, Tn.. Atlanta, (ia., l)allas, Tx., ancl Portland. Or., lclcations ol' lntcntutiunul Papcr, IJtriklin.q Materiul.s I)i.strihutiott Divnion, wifl nlerge inlo McExvn I.untber ('o., IIigh Point, N.C., another lrttcntational Paper division, by the end ol'the year

Il&K Lunber .\ul<'s is a new Morganton, N.('., wholesale operation opened by Jim Ramsey .Scott V. Lyng. formerly sales v.p. at I:..4. Ilit'kson Lurnht'r Co., lnc., Lynchburg, Va., started Nenrs Spacialt.v I.,umber Co., Amherst. Va.

.Silv,onus (-orp., Bristol, Va.. was acquire<' by Visudor Co., which has rrrfg. divisions in Marion, Va., and Jasper, Tx. . Edy,ards Wood Prodttt'ts, Marshville, N.C., opened the first phase ol'a $5 million operation near Laurinburg, N.Cl.

Sunhelt [:orest Products C'orp., Bartow, F'1., is a new producer of UltraWood in that state Burns, Morris & Steu;art, Int'., Nacogdoches, Tx., is building new offices adjacent to its current location ... HCS Woodtech, Houston, Tx., has been acquired by Hotrston Woodteclt, a subsidiary of Hughe.s Wood Produc'ts, also based in Houston . .

Louisiana Pac(ic, New Waverly, Tx., is installing new equipment including a Durand-Raute spindle lathe. .. Champion Inter- l'cllov'stont' Woodv'rtrk.s, a lJrund-.5 ('ttrp. operation in Livingston. Mt., is now supplying nrillwork to the southern states

Bulldlng Productr Dlgert tttttirntul ('o.':;'l'intbt'rlund'.s Tethrtitnl ('antt,r Gnntps have relocatcd in North ltcgency l:xecutive Park, Jacksonville. l;1.

(\tttstul I-utnbar Pnxlucts lnc., Wcldon. N.('.. will build a $6 million forcst products mfg. facility in Preston (lounty, W.V. ., I)an l;rachiseur has opcned Pinc litrast Pnxluct.s in llirntirrgham. Al Packaging ('orp. ol' ,4narit'u plans to build a $2 nrillion hardwood sawmill ncur l:airview. Ms.

('clotcx ('orp., Tanrpa. l;1., and its srrbsidiary ('orev Cunarla lnt'., which havc bccn fighting asbestos litigation fbr almost 20 ycars. havc lllcd for reorganization underChapter I I . .. Twin Y ('orp.. parent conrpany ol' Young l)oor ('o.. llartselle. Al., and ('hullcngc l)oor Co., Sulphur Springs, Tx., has been acquired by .lckl- Wcn, Int'., Klamath Falls, Or....

Not'/blk .Southern has restructured its transportation dept., reducing rlperating regions from three to two, both headquartered in Atlanta. Ga. Boisc Cuscade ('orp.. (ireeneville, Tn., donated lunds to a localschool's Ready to Ileacl program...

North Clarolina's Building C odc ('ou n t' i | ^Sl ru t' t u ro I C'omm itt ee has recommended changes requiring all treated material to be iclentified by a quality mark from either the Amcrican Wootl Preservers Bureau or Soutltcrn Pine Inspection Bureau with identification marked in indelible ink, branding or non-corrosive tags, which if used must be visible on 20-300h of the lumber in service...

Housings/arls slumped 0.6%r in Sept. (latest figs.) to an annually adjusted rate of l.l4 million single family home starts improved 4.20/o; multi-family starts dropped 14.30h. building permits slipped 4.270.

Fire Gloses Arkansas Plant

A "spectacular blaze" tore through Bearden Lumber Co., Bearden, Ar., shutting down the Anthony Timberlands-managed plant and causing an estimated $3-4 million in damages.

The Sept. 27 fire began in or under a planer matcher, quickly spreading to dry lumber takedown and storage areas. "The fire started about an hour after the shift had ended in a soundproof building, so it wasn't detected until it got very hot inside," said John Ed Anthony.

Destroyed were planer matcher and building, takedown system and shed, dry lumber storage shed and about I million bf of kiln dried lumber. Anthony hopes to have the plant again operational in 1991.

From Russia With Plywood

Lumber trade with the Soviet Union, suggested as a solution to a U.S. lumber shortage (see story page l4), is nearer with Ply*Gem Indus- tries Inc. naming Valery M.Suslov, an officer of the Soviet agency responsible for import and export of forest products, a vice president.

Suslov will be responsible for international products within Ply* Gem's Allied International division. With his appointment, Ply*Gem "has become an agent of the Soviet wood industry" in the U.S., Herbert P. Dooskin, Ply*Gem executive vice president, said. The appointment was approved by both the U.S. State and Commerce departments.

The company will facilitate cash and barter transactions for U.S. buyers of Soviet forest products as well as for Soviet companies needing U.S. made sawmill equipment and machinery, Dooskin said. He sees no conflict in the appointment since V/ O Exportles, the Russian agency involved, is scheduled to become a joint stock company owned by its employees, the Soviet timber and lumber industry and possibly its customers including foreign companies such as Plv*Gem. Jan. l.

Hechinger Closes Va. Store

Hechinger Co. is closing its Newport News, Va., store in December as a result of steadily losing sales to its own discount subsidiary, Home Quarters Warehouse, W. Clark McClelland, senior v.p., finance, said.

An HQ warehouse three miles away and a recently opened Denbigh unit apparently lured customers away with lower prices, although McClelland declined to give specific figures.

The company plans to convert Hechinger stores in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Fayetteville and Raleigh, N.C., into Home Quarters Warehouse division units by next summer. HQ, based in Virginia Beach, Va.. accounts for 20 of Hechinger's I l3 stores.

HQ is expected to eventually account for most of the company's operations. A Richmond, Va., financial analyst said they are facing increasing competition from lower price outlets such as Builders Square and Home Depot.

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