Dulux' parent company opened a 6,400sq ft customer centre at its headquarters in Slough this week, incorporating a new virtual reality suite to "enable retailers to immerse themselves in the Dulux customer experience".
The facility includes an innovation lab and 'living zone' furnished and finished by Dulux colour and design experts, to bring current and future decorative trends to life. Other features include a showcase store environment, indoor and outdoor hospitality spaces.

The centrepiece of the new facility is a virtual reality installation, which offers retailers the opportunity to create and trial potential store layouts, so that they can instantly weigh up the impact, convenience and fit of different in-store display options, before products hit the shelves.

The opening of the customer centre coincides with the appointment of former GlaxoSmithKline marketeer, Jenny Hall to a brand new role as customer experience and transformation director. Ms Hall, who joined AkzoNobel in 2011, has undertaken a series of senior marketing roles across the Consumer and Trade business, most recently leading a strategic review of Dulux's stores network.

AkzoNobel managing director Matt Pullen said: "AkzoNobel are committed to constantly improving customer experience and the new customer centre delivers a real step change in that experience.

"It means our product and service offer is more tailored to individual customers' needs and employs technology such as virtual reality to help customers to visualise and optimise store layouts and experiment with new design options. The centre is also the perfect showcase to lift the lid on product and service innovations before they come to market.

"This facility is designed to cement AkzoNobel's place as an industry leader in marketing, category management, technology and design, allowing us to explore new business opportunities and work collaboratively to unlock future growth in our industry."