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Dulux

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Dulux International
Product typePaint
OwnerAkzoNobel
PPG Industries (North America only)
CountryUnited Kingdom
Introduced1931; 93 years ago (in UK)
MarketsWorldwide
WebsiteDulux UK
Dulux India
Dulux Pakistan
Dulux Indonesia
Dulux Malaysia
Dulux South Africa
A Dulux store in Richmond Hill, Ontario
A Dulux store in Hong Kong

Dulux is an internationally-available brand of architectural paint that originated from the United Kingdom. The brand name Dulux has been used by both Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) and DuPont since 1931 and was one of the first alkyd-based paints. It is produced by AkzoNobel (originally produced by ICI prior to 2008) although the North American market is now served by PPG Industries.

On October 17, 2024, PPG announced its plan to sell its Dulux brand in Canada to American Industrial Partners as part of a broader $550 million deal.[1]

History

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ICI Paints was formed in 1926. The Dulux paint brand was introduced in 1931.[2] The name Dulux is derived from the words Durable and Luxury.

In the early days of its existence, decorators and their suppliers were the main customers for Dulux, with Say Dulux to your decorator used as an advertising slogan in the 1950s. By 1953, Dulux was available in the retail market and ten years later an Old English Sheepdog was used in advertisements, to the point where "Dulux dog" has become a common nickname for the breed.

Dulux had a market share in the United Kingdom of around 25 percent according to research by Kantar Group.[3]

Dulux dog

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An Old English Sheepdog, mascot for the Dulux brand since the 1960s

The Old English Sheepdog is the brand mascot for Dulux paint. The dog was first introduced in advertising campaigns in 1961. Since then they have been a constant and highly popular feature of Dulux television and print adverts wherever the paint is sold. So much so, that many people in those markets refer to the breed as a 'Dulux dog' rather than a Sheepdog. Over the years, different dogs have appeared in the adverts. However, they all look very similar, due to the carefully managed selection process carried out by ICI's advertising agency. The first Dulux dog was Shepton Daphnis Horsa, pet name Dash, who held the role for eight years.[4]

His successor, Fernville Lord Digby, was the most famous Dulux dog and also made his owners, Cynthia and Norman Harrison, famous. When filming advertisements, Digby was treated like a star, being driven to the studio in a chauffeur driven car. Barbara Woodhouse was employed to train Digby and his three stunt doubles, who were used whenever specific tricks or actions needed to be filmed. Digby's popularity led him to play the title role in the 1973 British comedy film Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World.[5]

King Hotspur of Amblegait was used from 1974 to 1979 and appeared in over fifty television programmes as well as his public appearances for ICI/Dulux.[4]

Dulux in Australia and New Zealand

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In Australia and New Zealand, Dulux has been involved with the manufacture and marketing of paint and related products since 1904 and is the largest manufacturer of paint products in Australia.

Dulux had its origins in H. L. Vosz, a large glass fabrication business and Australia's first major paint manufacturer. In 1912, the Australasian United Paint Company Limited was founded in South Australia, with an office in Lipson Street, Port Adelaide, to take over the paint business of H. L. Vosz as a going concern,[6] and over the next few years the factory underwent significant modernization.[7] The glass business continued independently under the Vosz name (although its founder had died nearly 30 years previously), but became Clarkson Ltd in 1915, in response to anti-German sentiment.

In 1919, the Australasian United Paint Co was purchased for £40,000 by British Australian Lead Manufacturers, a consortium of British white lead manufacturers, with their Australian office in Melbourne[8] or in Sydney.[9] The company became BALM Paints In the 1950s, it opened a new factory and Central Research Labs in Clayton, Victoria.

Taking its cue from survey evidence that the Australian public had no idea what BALM Paints was, but that everyone knew Dulux, the company changed its name in 1971 to Dulux Australia.

By the 1990s, the Australian paint market was dominated by Wattyl, Taubmans and Dulux.[10]

Until 1997, Dulux Australia was a key player in the ICI Paints World Group, after which ICI informed ICI Australia of its intention to sell its 62% share in the company as part of raising the capital needed for acquisition of part of Unilever. The former ICI Australia became an independent company on 2 February 1998 and was named Orica. In Australia and New Zealand, Dulux was wholly owned by Orica until July 2010, when DuluxGroup was spun off as a separate company on the Australian Securities Exchange. Fairground Attraction's song "Perfect" was used for an advertisement on television.

Dulux Australia was formerly a major player in all paint markets (decorative, automotive, refinish, industrial, powder coatings), but sold off the technical markets (and the Clayton site) to PPG Industries, concentrating on decorative, woodcare and powder coatings, and moving to a new site on Dandenong Road, Clayton, previously owned by Pond's.

Television advertisements featured the Dulux Dog (Penny), and several hundred other Old English Sheepdogs, racing around collecting cricket stumps, drumsticks, wooden spoons, sticks, and other items, to stir a newly opened pot of Dulux "Wash and Wear" paint.[11] The accompanying music was "I Woke Up Today", by American band Port O'Brien, from the album "All We Could Do Was Sing".[12]

In August 2019, Dulux Group was acquired by Nippon Paint and delisted from the Australian Securities Exchange.[13][14]

Dulux in Canada

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The Dulux decorative paint business In Canada was sold to the PPG Architectural Coatings division of PPG Industries in December 2012.

Dulux Decorator Centre

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In the United Kingdom, AkzoNobel operates the trade and retail store chain of Dulux Decorator Centre. There are now over 200 branches, predominantly in England, though there are also branches in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.[15]

Dulux Select Decorators

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The Dulux Select Decorators scheme is a nationwide network of professional decorators. The concept was originated by Dulux in 1996 to assure consumers of high-quality work including a two-year guarantee supported by the leading paint manufacturing brand.[16]

Dulux Trade Contract Partnership

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Dulux Trade Contract Partnership is a scheme for independently assessed, quality assured contractors. Dulux Trade Contract Partners undergo regular site visits by independent scheme assessors to monitor standards and to identify opportunities for improvement.[17]

Color of the Year

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For more than 20 years, Dulux color experts have been studying global trends and creating the Color of the Year:

  • 2025 - True Joy™ - Uplifting bright yellow colour [18]
  • 2024 - Sweet Embrace™ - Delicate, soft pink colour [19]

References

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  1. ^ "PPG reaches agreement to sell architectural coatings U.S. and Canada business to American Industrial Partners; announces comprehensive cost reduction program". 17 October 2024.
  2. ^ Melik, James (9 January 2011). "Dulux brings a splash of colour to China". BBC News. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  3. ^ "A meaningful brand strategy for Dulux". Kantar. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b "It's a (Dulux) dog's life". Dulux. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Video: Dulux dog returns to TV screens for first time in a decade". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 April 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Company Registrations". The Mail (Adelaide). South Australia. 18 May 1912. p. 4. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  7. ^ "An Enterprising Firm". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 27 June 1913. p. 11. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  8. ^ "A Strong Combination". Construction And Local Government Journal. New South Wales, Australia. 24 March 1919. p. 17. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  9. ^ "Encyclopedia of Australian Science: British Australian Lead Manufacturers Pty Ltd (1918 - 1955)". Retrieved 21 November 2016. The use of lead compounds, once important constituents of paint, has long been discontinued due to health concerns.
  10. ^ "ACCC moves to block paint acquisition". Australian Competition & Consumer Commission. 12 March 1996. MR 025/96. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  11. ^ Dulux TV ads Archived 15 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "Port O'Brien Myspace". Myspace.com. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  13. ^ Nippon Paint pours into Australia's DuluxGroup with $2.7 billion offer Reuters 17 April 2019
  14. ^ Acquisition by Nippon Paint Holdings Dulux Group
  15. ^ "AkzoNobel boosts Dulux Decorator Centre network in the UK to 203 stores". AkzoNobel. 5 February 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Why it pays to hire a professional". Duluxdecoratorcentre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 May 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  17. ^ "Welcome". dulux.co.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  18. ^ "Dezeen - True Joy named Dulux Colour of the Year 2025". dezeen.com. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  19. ^ "Dezeen - Sweet Embrace named Dulux Colour of the Year 2024". dezeen.com. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
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