Sikkens Professional Paint Store Roll-Out

Global paint manufacturer AkzoNobel approached the Total Fitouts Berkhamsted team to develop a comprehensive, Pan-European retail proposition for their esteemed Sikkens brand. To achieve this, they needed a strategic partner capable of reimagining their business-to-business retail store design.

Located across France and the Benelux region, these stores serve professionals in the DIY sector. Specifically, Sikkens aimed to position itself as the undisputed leading colour and technical expert in professional paints. The brief required the team to transform their retail environment from a traditional product-centric layout into an innovative, service-focused experience that truly supports the modern painter.

Strategic Category Management

To establish Sikkens as the premier paint expert, the team first initiated a rigorous category management and assortment review across all of Sikkens’ retail markets. By doing so, they successfully streamlined their offerings.

Furthermore, Total Fitouts Berkhamsted produced an optimised, highly functional range of paints and non-paint accessories. This tailored assortment now provides professional painters with absolutely everything they need the moment they walk into the store. As a result, the brand dramatically improved the shopping journey, making it far more efficient and intuitive for its B2B customers.

The Branded Experience and Colour Table

Next, the Berkhamsted team focused heavily on the spatial and retail design of the environment. The team engineered the newly designed Sikkens branded experience stores to actively reinforce the brand’s market presence and authority as true colour experts.

A standout feature of this new commercial design is the innovative “painter’s colour table.” The team specifically created this interactive resource center to empower professional painters. By utilizing this dedicated area, painters can effectively collaborate with and support their own clients during the crucial colour selection process. Ultimately, this specific central feature anchors the store’s new service-first identity and fosters stronger client-contractor relationships.

Driving Unprecedented Growth

The strategic retail planning and expert shopfitting execution delivered exceptional, measurable outcomes for the brand. Because of the newly optimized product range and the elevated retail design, AkzoNobel achieved impressive double-digit sales growth across its paint categories. Additionally, the deliberate rationalisation of both paint and non-paint ranges allowed the company to significantly reduce its working capital.

The finished concept perfectly aligned with the initial vision, prompting Phil Kent, Global Marketing Director of Professional Brands at AkzoNobel, to state: “I’ve been positively impressed by your ability to deliver a finished concept that remains true to the original, agreed design.”

Looking to elevate your retail or commercial space? Inquire with our team today to see how our commercial design and shopfitting services can transform your brand experience.