PAINT AND HARDWARE OPENED THEIR FIRST OUTLET AT THE LEWISAM SHOPPING CENTRE ALONG ENTERPRISE ROAD IN 2014. THEY NOW HAVE BRANCHES AT THE KENSINGTON SHOPPING CENTRE ALONG PRINCE EDWARDS STREET AND AT STORTFORD PARADE IN MABELREIGN. THEY ALSO HAVE A BRANCH IN BULAWAYO AT THE BRADFIELD SHOPPING CENTRE ON HILLSIDE ROAD. THEIR NEWEST BRANCH IS SITUATED AT THE HONEYDEW LIFESTYLE CENTRE AT 16 GREENDALE AVENUE. THE GREENDALE BRANCH WAS OFFICIALLY OPENED ON 26TH NOVEMBER JUST IN TIME FOR FANTASTIC “BLACK FRIDAY’ DISCOUNTS AND SPECIAL OFFERS TO CELEBRATE THEIR NEWEST STORE.
The Greendale branch offers much more convenient, one-stop paint, hardware, outdoor, camping, and appliance shopping for customers from Harare’s eastern suburbs who would prefer not to deal with the traffic and chaos of Msasa. There’s a much more tranquil atmosphere in Greendale as well as loads of safe and secure parking in front and a convenient loading bay at the back for contractors collecting bulk orders.
Honeydew Lifestyle Centre also includes Food Lovers, Brento’s Coffee Shop, Henning’s Nursery, a hairdressing salon, a pharmacy, an interior décor shop, a stationery shop, and a load of other interesting and useful retail outlets and service providers. So customers can easily do most of their home and garden shopping in one place and enjoy a cup of coffee with friends afterward.
The Paint and Hardware warehouse/ shop was designed by Bruce Rowlands from award-winning local firm Architexture Spatial Design. Rowlands designed the renovations to the main Food Lovers outlet as well as the additional shops and offices on the site so there’s a sense of design continuity with Chromadek rooffing, exposed brickwork, loads of natural light inside, and an overall contemporary rustic appeal. The original homestead on the property separates Paint and Hardware from the main buildings but it still blends in with the general aesthetic and an overall masterplan for future development.
Slatted louvers on the front façade of Paint and Hardware, for example, are steel clad in timber to echo the timber pillars, exposed trusses and wooden door and window frames on the older structures. The louvers are not just decorative, they also serve a number of practical functions; they are angled to filter the hot afternoon sun, screen off views into the offices while still allowing people in the Offices to see out, should air-con be installed in the future the louvers would screen off the ducting, and they provide a striking backboard for company logos.
Rowlands consulted with the Wilcox family (owners of Honeydew) as well as with Paint and Hardware to come up with the final design, with a few little tweaks along the way. Work on the site started in April and it was ready for Paint and hardware to take occupation in early November with Rorke Construction as the main contractors. The shop has a floor area of 680 square metres, excluding the mezzanine floors and the covered loading dock at the back.
It’s basically a steel skeleton with exposed brick in-fills, aluminium and glass frontage supplied by Aluminium Factory (screened by the louvres) and a Chromadek roof punctuated by a series of translucent skylights and whirlybird ventilation fans. The floor is diamond polished concrete with an industrial epoxy finish – Silane Hybrid Floor Sealer from Specialized Coating Systems in South Africa – which offers more durability and a longer life span. Paint and Hardware plan to have this fantastic product available in-store soon.
Chromadek roofs are notoriously hot in the summer so the roof over the shop has been insulated with Alububble sheeting, which together with the whirlybirds helps to maintain a reasonable temperature. The mezzanine offices are closer to the roof so insulation was more important, particularly for the glassed-in offices. Here an additional layer of Saint-Gobain fiberglass batting of around 100mm thick was installed with a final layer of insulation provided by a pine tongue and groove ceiling. The offices are now relatively comfortable although there might be an option to install air-con in the future if needed.
There was initially only one mezzanine floor at the front of the shop for admin and office space but Paint and Hardware requested a second mezzanine at the back of the shop for additional office space. The front mezzanine now has a reception area, the manager’s office, a PA’s office, a ten-seater boardroom, and staff ablutions, while the back mezzanine has two smaller offices, a large open plan office, and a staff kitchenette. The back mezzanine offices overlook the covered loading bay which has access for 30-tonne vehicles and a loading ramp. Access to the mezzanines is via elegant steel staircases with teak treads supplied and fitted by Rorke Construction.
Paint and Hardware are so much more than just a hardware store. The product range is huge, with the Greendale branch having a special focus on outdoor gear including camping equipment, braai stands, gas and gas appliances, and cooler boxes. They also stock a wide range of appliances from large white goods like fridges to smaller appliances like toasters and kettles, garden and pool necessities, hand and power tools, and even an automotive range. Of course, as the name suggests, they stock an extensive range of paints – particularly the Kansai/Plascon range (although they do stock other leading brands too), painting accessories, and a full hardware range including plumbing, electrical, and building materials. A fairly new range includes audio-visual goods like televisions and sound equipment. They really are a one-stop shop for home, garden, and leisure goods – and if they don’t have what you want in stock they do their best to order in for you.
Paint and Hardware also has a dedicated Trade Desk for contractors and artisans both big and small. Because they stock such a wide range of building, painting, plumbing, and electrical goods, at very competitive prices, many contractors chose to purchase all their materials under one roof.
The Trade Desk allows contractors to get dedicated service and attention and frees up the front of shop tills for regular customers. There are three tills at the front so customers never have to wait in a queue. For added convenience deliveries can be arranged within the eastern suburbs.
Paint and Hardware currently employs round 27 staff members at their Greendale branch including sales assistants, admin staff and management. All their sales staff receive intensive on the job training and have loads of experience so they’re able to assist customers with their requests and even offer good technical advice and steer customers in the right direction when they have any queries. From fairly modest beginnings in Lewisam Paint and Hardware has grown quickly and now has a staff contingent of over 100 across all their branches.
To find out more:
Visit: the new Paint and Hardware branch at
the Honeydew Lifestyle Centre, 16 Greendale
Avenue, Greendale – just off Samora Machel
Avenue
Call: 08677165067, +263 242 254019
Email: sales@painthardware.co.zw
Website: www.paintand hardware.co.zw
Text by Michael Nott
Photos by Structure and Design
Plans courtesy of Architexture Spatial Design
