Dulux

Internationally available brand of architectural paint

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.

ICI Paints was formed in 1926. The Dulux paint brand was introduced in 1931. 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 the famous 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.

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. 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. 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. and over the next few years the factory underwent significant modernization. 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 or in Sydney. 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. 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. The accompanying music was "I Woke Up Today", by American band Port O'Brien, from the album "All We Could Do Was Sing". In August 2019, Dulux Group was acquired by Nippon Paint and delisted from the Australian Securities Exchange.

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

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.

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.

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.