Top prize in the can

HAYMES Paints has received five-star ratings in six categories to take out the 2019 Award for Most Satisfied Customers: Paint from consumer review organisation Canstar Blue.

The family owned and run business out ranked Dulux, Wattyl, Taubmans and British Paints for the award second year in a row.

Matthew Haymes, Sales Director, said it was huge win and honour as it comes from people who have used their paints.

“We only distribute through our partners in paint specialists and independent hardware stores who are all family businesses, we don’t sell through corporate hardware,” he said.

“We spend so much time talking about ourselves but the people who actually sell our products, they played a huge part in achieving this accolade.”

“Unlike in corporate hardware where a customer might engage with staff who may have been in the garden section one minute or the power tools department the next, the people we work with are specialists.”

Haymes Paints puts effort into training and product knowledge for its retail partners.

The company’s training and market sector managers are constantly updating on new products and advising on improvements in washability, durability, and new environmentally better paints.

“There is no substitute, whether it be our people or our network partners, for just using the stuff,” Mr Haymes said. “It gives them the ability to say honestly to a customer ‘this is what I would recommend’.”

Mr Haymes, along with his two siblings are the third generation involved in the business.

When the business started 84 years ago the product range was limited to a heritage colours.

For the first syndicated colour system, which had over a thousand options, the family chose the names for them.

“We sat around the table, I was just old enough to enjoy red wine, and we got the thesaurus and dictionary out, this was before the internet, and came up with the colour names,” he said.

“You go forward 25 years and we have a team of colour gurus, who travel the world forecasting the trends and every year we release a new series of colours.”