SIGMA Paints Saudi Arabia has taken a major step in upgrading its product distribution channels in the kingdom with the official launch last month of an innovative new retail concept for contractors and painters.

The Sigma Service Centre is an entirely new ‘one-stop-shop’ concept in the Middle East, says Antoine Lejuez, marketing manager Middle East, Sigma Paints Saudi Arabia.

“Unlike in Europe, channels of product distribution in Saudi Arabia, not to mention the whole Middle East, remain very traditional,” he says.

“For example, to buy paints, tools or equipment, it is necessary to visit several different outlets, which are normally located far apart. Trying to find what they need, contractors or painters waste time, and time is money. Our shop is a valuable time saver for professionals and signals a new trend for paint distribution in the region,” he comments.

Conveniently located in the Al Rakkah district, just metres from the main Dammam-Al Khobar highway, within easy access of other major Eastern Province road arteries and with plenty of visitor parking, the Sigma Service Centre stocks a wide assortment of the latest paint and tool innovations from Sigma, as well as top-quality products from renowned international tool and equipment brands. In one small and clearly laid-out area, the professional visitor can view the latest market innovations, claims Lejuez.

Among the innovations currently being showcased at the service centre to coincide with its opening is Sigma’s Sigmacryl Ecoplus range of VOC (volatile organic compound)-free solutions, considered the most sustainable paint concept in the Middle East at present. The region’s first ‘zero’ VOC range, the paint addresses the shift towards environment-related specifications in buildings in the Middle East.

A diverse selection of professional equipment is also on display or stored in the warehouse adjacent to the centre. This includes cordless professional airless sprayer tools, sealants, fillers, cleaning tools, spraying equipment, paint tools, ladders, scaffolding, drills and a full range of safety equipment (gloves, helmets, footwear etc). Customers can also take away a comprehensive product catalogue, giving details of all products sold at the service centre, to make their choices in their own time should they wish, says Lejuez.

“However, the Sigma Service Centre is much more than just a shop,” he insists. “Highly-trained technical staff are on hand to provide professional advice to contractors and painters. This could be colour advice or perhaps guidance on applications or specifications for particular products.

The colour service desk, for example, is fully equipped with dispenser and shaker equipment, and provides striking visual examples of what a product will look like in a certain application – as well as practical visual displays of products being applied to different surfaces.

“The centre is a natural extension of Sigma’s culture of innovation and the core value of customer satisfaction, which is achieved through close engagement with our customers,” says Lejuez.

“For example, Sigma’s technical staff plan to run monthly seminars in a dedicated training facility at the centre, which can accommodate groups of up to about 20 invited professionals. As well as audio-visual equipment for theory training, practical training in the use of equipment such as spray guns is also provided in a separate ventilated room,” he explains.

The Sigma Service Centre covers a total area of 220 sq m on two levels. The training facility occupies the upper level, while the ground floor comprises three distinct ‘hotspots’, each with a distinctive function: the front desk, a colour service counter and a hospitality area where visitors can enjoy a coffee and chat with Sigma service staff about their requirements, or browse Sigma’s catalogues and brochures, Lejuez says.

“The customer experience is all-important,” he emphasises, pointing out that keeping the concept fresh is vital to its long-term success. Lejuez says Sigma is committed to introducing new products and services at the service centre every month, for the benefit in particular of regular visitors who are hungry for new ideas.

“Think of the service centre as the iStore of the paint industry. Professional contractors and painters can convene here, discuss their needs and make informed choices. Our vision is for it to be a reference point of choice for paint professionals in the Eastern Province,” says Bassam Al Masri, communication manager.

The Sigma Service Centre ... two levels with products and training facilities.

While the service centre concept is not new in Sigma’s more mature markets such as Europe, the company’s ability to replicate the concept successfully in Saudi Arabia and eventually across the Middle East is a challenge which, Lejuez says, he is confident of meeting.

“It is early days but I am very optimistic that, with effective marketing campaigns and even through word of mouth, the Sigma Service Centre will be a resounding success, a place where like-minded professionals will want to spend time,” he claims.

He also expects other paint manufacturers and suppliers in the kingdom to follow suit with similar offerings, but is comfortable with the idea that Sigma is regarded as a true pioneer in a highly competitive local market, where the ability to innovate is increasingly the differentiating factor.

Such is Sigma’s faith in the service centre concept that the Eastern Province facility will be the template for a network of identical facilities elsewhere in the region over the next few years, starting with a Riyadh facility that will open later this year.

“Sigma Service Centres across the region will be defined by consistent product and services levels, wherever they are. Such consistency gives professional contractors greater comfort in the brand,” says Lejuez.

The Sigma Service Centre has been developed in partnership with Omer Al Qadeeb and Sons Trading, a well-established local family business in the area, and complements Sigma’s extensive network of existing ‘traditional’ dealerships in the Eastern Province.

Sigma Paints has since 1981 been providing its superlative quality decorative paints, marine and protective coatings, along with associated services, to clients across Saudi Arabia.

The company has supplied to some of the kingdom’s most prestigious projects across a variety of sectors. Supported by a state-of-the-art paint factory in Dammam’s First Industrial City and backed up by a highly qualified workforce, Sigma aims to be a pioneer in every sense of the word.