Recommend a Friend

Recommend the Refresh Scheme to another housing provider and we will donate materials to a community project of your choice!

If you are impressed with the Dulux Decorator Centre’s Refresh scheme, why not recommend the scheme and its benefits to other housing providers?

Send us their contact details and once the first 10 vouchers or paint packs have been redeemed, we will contact you to arrange for paint and materials to be donated to a community project of your choice.

Opening a Refresh account is simple and your friends will soon start to see the benefits including:

• Great on-going discounts for all their residents and employees
• Nectar points on all purchases
• Easy administration and monthly consolidated invoices
• Professional advice from our dedicated team
• Free delivery for all residents

Contact the Refresh Business Support team today on 0161 968 3148 to recommend your friend!

AmicusHorizon receives award for outstanding customer service!

Dulux Decorator Centre was proud to sponsor the ‘Excellence in Customer Service Award’ at the National Housing Awards for the second year running.

The prestigious award ceremony, which  promotes and showcases the innovation and good practice achieved within the affordable housing sector, was held yesterday at the Lancaster Hotel in London.

This year’s winner were AmicusHorizon.

Michael Cleaver, Director of Home Ownership at AmicusHorizon, said: “This award demonstrates that delivering great services to home owners relies on a One Team approach. Our aim is to improve the service further and to give our customers the best experience possible.”

Patrick Kielty (l) and Dulux Decorator Centre’s Lisa Brumwell (r) with the winners of the ‘Excellence in Customer Service’ award

United Welsh joins forces with Dulux Decorator Centres to ‘Refresh’ community centre

Members of the Dulux Decorator Centre’s Refresh team joined forces with employees and residents from Welsh housing association, United Welsh, to give a fresh new look to a community centre in Forgeside, Blaenavon.

More than 30 volunteers from the community turned out and spent the whole day painting the outside of Forgeside Community Centre. The building, which lies at the heart of the Welsh community, hadn’t been painted for many years and the volunteers wanted to make it bright, fresh and welcoming once more.

United Welsh, who use the DDC Refresh scheme for redecoration vouchers, approached Customer Support Manager, Richard Morgan, for assistance. Together with Specifier Account Manager Laurence Harvey, they were able to specify the right products and also contribute paint towards the project. Richard was joined on the day by fellow colleague, Geoff Pardon, to help paint the building.

Richard Morgan of DDC said: “We were delighted to assist United Welsh with the community project in Forgeside. The project demonstrates our commitment to social value; working closely with our customers has allowed us to enhance the community.”

United Welsh’s Wendy Doel, who led the project, said: “Forgeside has lost quite a number of things in recent years. We wanted to help the people of Forgeside improve their surroundings and this is just the start.”

Andrew Neville of Torfaen Council added: “It’s a really great community project that’s initiated from the community and United Welsh. It’s all about improving the area where people live, engendering respect and pride, and building on the community spirit that’s here already. And it’s great fun too!”

NPT Homes link up with Dulux to benefit tenants

Social housing provider NPT Homes has linked up with Dulux Decorator Centre to provide tenants with quality decorating products at discounted rates.

To access the average discount of 23%, tenants can visit the Dulux Decorator Centre in Swansea, order online or call 0845 602 3128 to place their order. As an added bonus, Dulux Decorator Centres provide free delivery on all purchases.

Chief Executive Linda Whittaker said: “Over the last two years we have worked with thousands of tenants to improve their homes andw e are finding that once they have a new kitchen or bathroom they have an increased sense of pride in their home and we are seeing an many people decorating other rooms within the house. With this in mind we have linked up with Dulux Decorator Centres to offer discounts on decorating costs to help give those tenants who are investing in their homes something back.”

Richard Morgan, Customer Support Manager, said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with NPT Homes to provide tenants with great discounts on professional painting and decorating materials. Our expert staff are able to offer friendly advice on putting colour schemes together, selecting products and applying them properly. As well as having access to the right products, tenants will be inspired to use them creatively in their homes.”

Creative with colour

Yarlington Housing Association is giving residents a greater choice over the colours used to decorate their new home after launching a pilot project with Dulux Decorator Centres.

Yarlington made the decision to offer paint packs to residents after consultation with over 300 housing applicants showed that 75% would be ‘very happy’ or ‘happy’ to be offered decoration vouchers allowing them to decorate to their own style and taste.

The new scheme is being offered to all general need tenants moving into an empty re-let Yarlington property and will result in the properties being re-let more quickly enabling more homes to be made available to those on the waiting lists.

New Yarlington residents, Bonita Cheslin and Ben Baxter, who have just moved into their new home in Ilminster, were the first residents to use their paint pack vouchers at the Dulux Decorator Store in Yeovil.

Bonita expressed her delight in the scheme “I think it’s a great idea” she said. “We have the choice to paint our rooms in the colours we want – it’s outstanding. We are very excited about decorating our ten week old daughter’s nursery with the baby pink colour we picked out ourselves!” Her partner Ben added “For a young family like us, it’s brilliant. We’ve never had this opportunity before.”

Richard Morgan, Customer Support Manager for Dulux said “We are pleased to be working in partnership with Yarlington to provide residents with great discounts on professional painting and decorating materials. Our expert staff are able to offer friendly advice on putting colour schemes together, selecting products and applying them properly. As well as having access to the right products, tenants will be inspired to use them creatively in their homes.”

Current tenants of Yarlington will receive up to 23% discount on Dulux decorating products when they present proof of their tenancy with Yarlington, enabling them to give their homes a new coat of colour too.

Chloe Deacon, Letting Manager at Yarlington concluded “We all have individual tastes within our home, so it’s great to be able to offer residents complete choice of colours as well as providing the necessary materials to decorate their home. So far, residents have been thrilled with our new service.”

Nathan gets chance of a ‘fresh start’

Nathan Lowery is pictured with Helen Watson from The Gateshead Housing Company’s Involvement Team

Young people in Gateshead are being given a ‘fresh start’ in the world of work thanks to The Gateshead Housing Company and Dulux Decorator Centres.

The national Fresh Start initiative gives young people aged 16 to 19 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) the chance to gain vital experience and training towards a future career in decorating.

Young jobseekers taking part will spend part of each week studying or learning the skills needed to become a professional tradesperson – and also gain retail and other job-related experience at Dulux stores.

By working in the retail environment young people will learn about dealing with customers, as well as the latest DIY products.ed experience at Dulux stores.

The housing company, which offers its tenants receiving improvement works a decoration allowance to be used at local Dulux Centres, is delighted young people in the area are already benefitting from the scheme.

One of the first young people to benefit from the scheme is 17-year-old Nathan Lowery from Springwell in Gateshead. From next month, Nathan will be combining three days of study at Newcastle College with two days at local Dulux Decorating Centres.

Jon Mallen-Beadle, Managing Director of The Gateshead Housing Company, said: “We have a commitment to helping our tenants and their families to gain experience and training to help them find a new job or work experience.

“The Fresh Start scheme offers a great opportunity for young people living in our homes like Nathan to learn a real trade – that could see them working in the decorating business or even one day having their own company.”

Nathan said: “I am really looking forward to getting experience in the decorating trade. Hopefully the skills I will learn at Dulux, combined with my college course will lead to a job in the future.”

Jamie Hyde, Dulux Decorator Centre’s Customer Support Manager North East England and Scotland, said: “We are really excited to be working with the housing company and its customers.

“To give residents a Fresh Start through structured and meaningful work placements as they work towards a formal qualification is a way for Dulux Decorator Centres to add to the work the housing company is doing to deliver sustainable communities.”

 

Dulux sponsor Excellence in Customer Service Award at the National Housing Awards 2013

Dulux Decorator Centre was proud to have sponsored the Excellence in Customer Service award at yesterday’s National Housing Award at the Lancaster Hotel in London.

The award for the affordable home ownership department or organisation that has demonstrated outstanding customer service through providing an exceptional service or product was won by Metropolitan.

Judges at the prestigious National Housing Awards praised Metropolitan’s performance and success in driving service improvement for the benefit of customers.

Bernie Conroy, Home Ownership Director at Metropolitan, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this award and industry recognition of our efforts.

“Metropolitan’s 50 year history is a story of meeting customer needs and our Home Ownership team should be very proud of this win. I would like to thank our customers, partners and our staff for their contribution to this success. To win a national award for excellent customer service for the second consecutive year is a measure of the strength of our commitment to putting customers first.”

Dulux Decorator Centre’s Lisa Brumwell (l) and comedian and host Jack Dee together with the Metropolitan Home Ownership team

 

Dulux Decorator Centres paint an excellent picture at national awards

Altrincham based Dulux Decorator Centres recently brought home the gold after claiming the prestigious Supplier of the Year title at the 10th annual national Housing Excellence Awards.

The Housing Excellence Awards highlights and rewards those who lead the way in the social housing sector and is one of the most notable accolades a company can win in the sector.

The team at Dulux Decorator Centres won the award for its social housing partnering scheme, Refresh, which is designed to work closely with housing associations and their customers throughout the UK.

The scheme provides social housing tenants with paints, wallpapers and decorating equipment, as well as expert advice and support, from the UK’s leading decorating specialist, Dulux Decorator Centres, in the form of vouchers or paint packs.

Refresh was praised for its understanding, commitment and passion to really making a difference to the lives of people living in social housing.

Customers can use the vouchers to purchase products from any of the 191 Dulux Decorator Centres around the UK or online. The paint packs also provide customers with all they need to redecorate their home in one handy package – they simply choose their colours and everything will be delivered free to their door.

Lisa Brumwell, service development manager for Refresh at Dulux Decorator Centres, explained: “We know housing associations need service partners who they rely on and can fully support their customers – so to have our work recognised with this award is a real honour.