With firms such as Crown Paints, Sadolin Paints among others fighting for the East African market, a new player has set up to have a share of the market, and it has not launched timidly.
Norwegian paint maker, Jotun, has invested Kshs 250million ($2.8 million) to launch and dominate the Kenyan paint market and then increase its market presence in the East African region. The firm will use the funds to set up regional offices in Nairobi, set up a warehouse and recruit and develop its workforce in sales, marketing, financial control and supply chain verticals.
Jotun’s Kenyan office will support the company’s business in Kenya, Uganda (shortly) and Tanzania with the company looking to grow its business in emerging markets.
Jotun Kenya Country Manager, East Africa Region Ashish Vasudev said the company is in the process of strengthening its distribution network by recruiting more dealers to support their business in the region.
“We look at Kenya as a very attractive paint market, where high growth is expected. The fast growing economic development in country and high level of education gives us the confidence that Kenya will continue to grow in the future.” he said.
The company’s operation in Kenya started through an agent in 1995 and seeing the immense potential in the region, Jotun is now established as a legal entity and plans to set up a paint factory in Kenya within the next three years and using it to export to other countries in East Africa.
In the meantime, the company will continue importing the paints from its factories in Egypt and Dubai and will initially focus on protective coating and decorative paints. Jotun also plans to introduce into the local market new products within the year for instance marine and powder coatings.
Jotun has been a pioneer in the in-shop tinting system and has over 9000 shops all around the world. It is also associated with painting and protecting world famous landmarks namely the Eiffel tower, Burj Khalifa, Kindgom towers, and Petronas towers among others. In Kenya, Jotun has painted the English Point, Marina in Mombasa, most of Sarova resorts, Vipingo Ridge project and Gems school in Nairobi among other projects.