Do it Best to Upgrade, Expand EasyCare Brand Line, Retire Best Look
By Craig Webb
Do it Best Group plans to launch in Spring 2028 an expanded and upgraded line of EasyCare paints that will cover more price categories and give the co-op's members alternatives to products like Benjamin Moore, Behr, and Glidden.
The move embraces True Value's legacy product in favor of Do it Best's Best Look brand, which will be retired. It also marks a major effort by Do it Best to help its members win market share in a vital product category. Today, Do it Best uses Valspar as its national brand, Best Look as its private label line, and Color Solutions for some special needs. Valspar will remain among Do it Best's offerings after the upgraded EasyCare rollout.
"For our True Value stores, EasyCare is already a familiar name," Chief Merchandising Officer Jason Stofleth said Sept. 25 in Indianapolis at the kickoff of Do it Best's Fall Market. "This investment will strengthen the brand even further, with improved formulas, stronger training, and national advertising support behind one private-label paint line for the full co-op."
During the Market Kickoff, Stofleth showed a slide that indicated the EasyCare paints will be offered at price points that cover 92.5% of the paint market, including offerings from Behr, Ace's Clark & Kensington, Royal Paint, and the bargain Benjamin Moore products. EasyCare won't be set up to compete with the cheapest paints, such as from Glidden, or against Benjamin Moore's high-end Regal and Aura paints.
Stofleth said the new EasyCare paints will feature improved formulas, but he didn't elaborate. Do it Best plans clinics to help members understand the new lineup's features, answer customer questions, and "sell with more confidence."
The EasyCare news comes three months after Do it Best Group entered into a long-term partnership with Sherwin-Williams involving the factory in Cary, IL, where EasyCare was manufactured. In that agreement, Sherwin-Williams assumed manufacturing responsibilities for EasyCare. Also, Sherwin-Williams reserved its Majic and Shur-Line brands exclusively for Do it Best and True Value retails in the independent hardware channel.
Benjamin Moore responded to that news by ending its bill-through relationship with Do it Best. Co-op members still can buy Benjamin Moore paints, but they now have to pay Benjamin Moore directly rather than being billed through Do it Best.
Bill-through programs run by distributors like Do it Best are popular for both dealers and vendors. That's because both sides benefit from the convenience and savings involved in writing just one check to get the myriad of products that the distributor provides. Bill-through programs also may include extra benefits for dealers, such as a lower price for products and the opportunity to receive rebates. Meanwhile, vendors benefit because they get one check covering orders from hundreds dealers, thus eliminating the need to chase payments from individual stores.
A Do it Best spokesman said in July that Benjamin Moore held a relatively small but growing share of the co-op's overall paint sales.
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