PROFITABILITY, COMPETITION, TRAINING HOT TOPICS AT RECENT SIKKENS® DEALER ROUNDTABLE

Troy, Mich., April XX, 2004 - Making money, co-existing with "big box" retailers and training employees were at the top of the list of key issues of Sikkens dealers during the "Sikkens® Dealer Roundtable" with executives of Akzo Nobel's Decorative Coatings North America (DCNA) Sikkens® brand management team.

DCNA executives recently conducted its "Sikkens Dealer Roundtable" with selected, independent dealers of its Sikkens brand of premium wood care products to exchange ideas and information in a series of informal discussions. DNCA hosted small groups of dealers from around the country at its headquarters in Troy, Mich., for two-day sessions over a three-week period.

On the first day, dealers toured the Akzo Nobel production and laboratory facilities in Pontiac, Mich., and participated in a seminar on Akzo Nobel and its broad range of products. The following day the dealers met with DCNA marketing manager Antoine Barreto, general manager Theo Bouwens and Sikkens profit center manager Gerry Koutavas to discuss a variety of topics.

"To best support our dealers, we need to know what we are doing right and what we can do better as partners," said Koutavas. "The Roundtable format proved very conducive to this and we plan to hold these discussions regularly."

Premium Brands Mean More Profit
"Perhaps the strongest message that echoed in all of the sessions was the loyalty dealers have to Sikkens as a premium brand and the crucial contribution this makes to their profitability," said Barreto.

The dealers stressed the importance of premium brands to attracting higher-end business, particularly professional contractors who insist on top quality products and understand the relationship of price, value and performance.

Dealer feedback highlighted another vital aspect of the Sikkens brand commitment: customer service. Ordering, invoicing, shipping, problem resolution and attention to detail by Sikkens technical sales representatives all received high marks.

Big Boxes Offer Opportunity
One of the hot topics for the group was the challenge of "big box" retailers and the opportunity they represent.

"One of our dealers explained how he increased his store traffic after a big box retailer moved in nearby," said Koutavas.

Rather than seeing a threat, this dealer saw opportunity.

"The dealer visits the paint department of his big box neighbor every few weeks to introduce himself to new employees and offers to help their customers with questions about paint or stain. The big box employees, who have more general training, are grateful for the independent store owner's specialized knowledge."

Product Training is Essential
Dealers also offered feedback on DCNA programs and emphasized the importance of Sikkens' training programs.

"The training that my employees receive from the Sikkens representative is invaluable," said Elliot Greenberg, general manager of Ring's End Paint Center, Darien, Conn. "The representative spends a great deal of time following up with my employees and is continually updating them with new product information and techniques."

"The dealers also spoke highly of our new 'Simply Beautiful' point-of-purchase displays and recommended improvements we can make to our product literature," Barreto said.

"I am pleased that I participated in the Roundtable," said Greenberg. "The dealers that participated were high-end and very passionate about their business. I walked away with valuable tips and ideas from Sikkens as well as the other dealers and would welcome an invitation to participate in another."

"The comments we received from our dealers after each session were extremely positive," said Bouwens. "We look forward to hosting additional Roundtables with our dealers to further strengthen our partnerships."

Akzo Nobel, based in the Netherlands, serves customers throughout the world with healthcare products, coatings and chemicals. Consolidated sales for 2002 totaled EUR 14 billion. Akzo Nobel currently employs approximately 65,200 people in more than 80 countries. For more information, please contact Sikkens at 1-866-Sikkens or visit www.nam.sikkens.com.