Own-label specialists

Since 1992 J.W. Ostendorf & Co. KG, which has its headquarters in Coesfeld, has numbered among Praktiker’s best-performing trading partners in the area of emulsions and other paints and varnishes. J. W. Ostendorf, which was established in 1948 as a family company, today supplies the Praktiker group throughout Europe with a full range of far more than 1 300 articles in the paint category.
The collaboration between J.W. Ostendorf and the Metro group goes right back to 1968, the year when the DIY superstore began its triumphal progress through Germany. J.W. Ostendorf reacted with a radical change to its marketing strategy. Having originally made a name for itself as a partner of the traditional specialist painting and decorating trade, the company developed totally new target groups as the do-it-yourself market gradually emerged. First delivery contracts were concluded in 1968 with Cash & Carry stores belonging to the Metro group, and the collaboration with Praktiker AG followed in the year 1992. Today J.W. Ostendorf employs a workforce in excess of 600 and services over 80 brands in 20 different languages in more than 2 500 stores in Europe. Annual production output amounts to 350 mio litres of paints and varnishes. The company is regarded as a specialist and market leader in the development, production and distribution of private labels in the DIY market.
Two own-label lines under the Faust and Budget brand names have been part and parcel of Praktiker’s range in the categories of interior and exterior paints, varnishes, wood glazes and wall coatings since 1992.
Budget and Faust products differ from manufacturers’ brands in that they are individually geared to the standards expected by Praktiker, as a leading retail organisation, for its private labels in terms of price, quality, choice and service. For Praktiker’s customers this means innovative products, customer-friendly packaging and a new generation of emulsion paints designed to complement the existing range of coatings. The full assortment of paints, varnishes and glazes is at the same time intended to meet even relatively high quality requirements.
The close liaison between Praktiker and J.W. Ostendorf is entering a new phase with the stationing of novel, computer-controlled tinting systems in more than 40 per cent of Praktiker stores and the equipping of the remaining stores with colour order centres by August 2003.
The introduction of tinting stations offers Praktiker’s customers the…