NAIROBI, Kenya
Crown Paints has unveiled a modern showroom in Nairobi as it seeks to grow sales by targeting increasingly sophisticated, quality-conscious consumers in the residential and commercial property market.
Increased demand for quality housing materials has forced property developers to rely on expensive imported products, further increasing the cost of building homes in Kenya. Crown Paints Kenya CEO Rakesh Rao said that the company is now working to reduce the cost of building materials especially interior finishes.
“The housing market has been changing very fast with more people using texture and stone finishes. Professionals in the construction industry have also been asking for higher quality paint and finishes and so it has been very difficult to meet demand,” said Rao.
He said Crown was exploring ways of reducing the cost of wall, floor and kitchen finishes. “We will be reducing the cost of some of the stone and texture finishes by up to 40% per square meter,” he said.
According to Waweru Gathecha, Chairman of the Architectural Association of Kenya, the cost of building materials in Kenya will only come down if local manufacturers are given incentives to produce them. He singled out the high cost of interior finishes as a hurdle to many home builders yet an increasing number of Kenyans are opting to own their own house.
“Cost of construction is a function of the manufacturing sector. The more we manufacture locally, the more chances of bringing down the cost of construction materials,” said Gathecha.
The new Crown showroom at Muthithi Place in Westlands will feature the latest innovations in paints and interior finishes and will offer consumers tips on how to enhance building aesthetics using quality products. It is designed as a one stop colour expression Centre, complete with colour visualizer to simulate room sets.
The color visualizer, a first in the Kenyan market, features a large touch screen that enables customers to explore different colour schemes in varying room settings. Customers can experience a virtual tour of the room while ‘splashing’ different paints on ‘furniture’, ‘floors’ and ‘walls’ to make an informed choice.
Rao said the firm has put in place several initiatives geared to promoting use of quality products to ensure safety and long-life of buildings. The showroom will also showcase designer fashion finishes, textured finishes, Italian design marbles and quartz from Kalingastone, waterproofing and construction chemicals.
“Consumers in Kenya’s property market have become quite sophisticated and are demanding more quality products. We plan to put up similar showrooms in Kisumu, Nakuru, Mombasa, Eldoret, Malindi and two more in Nairobi,” said Rao. Rao said the firm will get support from Crown Marble & Quartz Ltd. and Crown Classic Ltd to sell products by the two companies, which are independent of Crown Paints Kenya, in the local market.
