The Mayor of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, Cllr Carol Bower, cut the ribbon to open a new store in King’s Lynn for decorative supplies company Kent Blaxill on Thursday, August 31.
Manager James Livick-Smith with two other members of staff will run the 4,200 sq ft branch at Hansa Road, King’s Lynn, which will serve both the professional decorator and home DIY markets.
The Mayor said: “I am very excited to be welcoming a family run company like Kent Blaxill to King’s Lynn. We have a strong trading history and are now a developing and regenerating town.”
It will be the 14th branch of the long-established East Anglian based company which was founded more than 175 years ago.
James Livick-Smith, Branch Manager, said: “I think the area has great prospects for Kent Blaxill. If we get across the family-run ethos of the firm, it should really appeal to people round here. King’s Lynn is the hub of West Norfolk and we attract people in from Sandringham, Dersingham and Hunstanton, and Downham Market to the south.”
Simon Blaxill, Managing Director, said: “What we can bring to King’s Lynn in addition to a comprehensive range of products and design advice are high levels of service. We want customers to enjoy their not just their first visit to the store, but the second and third, and every time they come back. We have a great location and we have already had some great feedback from our first customers.
“The key to our success here will be having a great team who are all local – James Livick-Smith as manager, along with Mark Wright and Nathaniel Dodman, with Barry Church as our salesman.”
The King’s Lynn branch is stocked with an extensive range of paints and related products, with a strong focus on designer paints such as Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and Paint Library, Zoffany, Sandersons and, as well as regular trade brands such as Dulux, Crown and Armstead. The company will also provide a daily decorative materials delivery service for trade professionals.
“Our products are aimed at the professional but we also hope to attract consumers interested in the widest range of decorative paint solutions, colour choice and advice. We are really looking forward to building a strong relationship with King’s Lynn,” said Simon, who is from the sixth generation of Kents and Blaxills to run the company.
