Let You in on THE Joke

In July of 2022 I pondered whether slowing sales in Sherwin’s Consumer Brands Group portended a shift in DIY shopping habits, as early data suggested.  Four years later that trend is easily seen, and not just in the results at Sherwin’s CBG but also in the results at Masco. Which, like Sherwin, is struggling to maintain its market share in the DIY segment.

Last week Masco reported a 15% decrease in their volume through Home Depot during the fourth quarter of 2025, a staggering decline made worse when adjusting for inflation.  That debacle was the fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit decreases at Behr, due to “soft DIY demand” according to Masco CEO Jon Nudi.

As if that was not already obvious.

While discussing Sherwin-Williams’ Consumer Brands Group soft performance on a recent earnings call, CEO Heidi Petz echoed Nudi’s pessimism for the DIY segment.  Down 6% net of acquisitions, Petz cautioned that the "DIY consumer remains under pressure." 

Though Ace Hardware reported up 10% for the quarter and 6% for the year. Meaning that Heidi and Jon are right about the direction their DIY sales are going, they're just wrong about why it's happening.

Pssst....If you have research reflecting changes in DIY paint purchasing habits, please share it with me here.

Get in on THE Joke

THE most consequential relationship of my family’s 114-year history in paint was with Benjamin Moore, the Montvale, New Jersey-based paint maker now owned by Berkshire-Hathaway.  And Thursday at 7:00 pm Eastern I’ll be Live spilling that tea.

After riffing on that topic, I’ll host a no rules Q & A.  And I’m expecting you’ll have some questions after hearing what I have to say. 

Because if all you know of my relationship with Benjamin Moore is that I used to be a dealer before briefly working for CEO Dan Calkins, then I understand recent accusations of bias.  So, I’ll fill in the gaps to clear up any misunderstandings, which may piss my old boss off but should also silence critics.  Critics who believe I’m willing to expose fraud at Sherwin-Williams and ineptitude at Pittsburgh, but not misdeeds at Benjamin Moore. 

The original folly, even before there was Irick. 

But wage theft at Sherwin-Williams, private equity ownership of Pittsburgh and the Kelly-Moore affair have multiplied the ranks here, so that only a few know my history with Benjamin Moore, making it time a good time to tell that story.  Because I don’t care if you think I’m an asshole, but I don’t want you to think I’m a biased one.  And to get the story right so that the next time someone says that I’m protecting Ben Moore, you can laugh too.   

On the Live I’ll share that history, detailing my first activism in paint, on my own behalf and on that of Benjamin Moore dealers who were mistreated by that company.  A civil war so bloody Benjamin Moore CEO Yvan Dupuywould hardly agree that I’m being at all hard on Heidi.

Overwhelmingly, the Benjamin Moore dealers I’m in touch with now speak highly of that firm, an approval rating which might dip slightly if you only polled smaller dealers.  But even amongst that group, there would be widespread agreement that Benjamin Moore is fair in their dealings.  And that as far as corporations go is a good one to partner with, a statement I now agree with.      

And I’ll recount the relationship’s lowest point, when a column I published got me called into Montvale for a meeting with Dupuy.  One which forced me to change the vision for my future, after walking out believing the relationship mortally wounded. 

Though Dan had different plans.

After that I’ll host a no rules Q & A, where I don’t expect anyone to ask about my bias towards Ben Moore.  But you can ask anything else and when we’re done, I plan to release all three lives as a podcast mini-series including the Q & A.  So that if #Dan has any questions for me, you won’t have to miss it.

And I’m expecting he’ll have at-least one.