The St Ives branch of builders' merchant Gibbs & Dandy has opened a specialist decorating centre after partnering with ICI Paints Akzo Nobel.

The Cambridgeshire centre will offer more than 1,000 product for both trade and retail sales, including Dulux, Crown and Armstead paints, as well as specialist paint brands, such as Zinsser, Bedec and Hammerite. There will also be a range of treatment brands, including Ronseal, Sadolin and Sikkens.

The 100sq m centre was created in just 12 weeks thanks to the close partnership between the branch and ICI Paints Akzo Nobel.

Branch manager, Paul Hockley, said: “We’ve already received some great feedback from customers, which is very encouraging. I believe there is a gap in the local market for us to become a specialist centre for the painting and decorating sector, which is why we have high hopes for the centre. In fact, our aim is a 20% increase in decorating sales in the first year alone. It’s an ambitious target, but it’s always good to set the bar high.”