Colours

What Colours does

Colours, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned distributor of automotive, fleet, and industrial refinish paints and supplies, founded in 1986 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and led today by President & CEO Ali Mahalak, daughter of founder Tim Evans. The company operates 60+ company-owned retail stores across at least 13 U.S. states (PA, NY, NJ, MA, IL, IA, MD, ME, MN, SD, NE, WV, DE), supported by a centralized distribution center in Hanover Township, PA, daily route deliveries, and field sales representatives who serve collision repair shops on-site. It has held PPG Platinum Distributor status since inception and has been named PPG Distributor of the Year three times, most recently in 2025.

The company's product surface is anchored in PPG refinish and commercial coating lines (including Delfleet Evolution, Delfleet Essential, and Versolon) plus complementary brands such as SEM, 3M, Norton, DeVilbiss, and Meguiars. On top of distribution, Colours has built M.E.R.E. (Managing Everything Required Efficiently), a proprietary cloud-based inventory management application for collision repair shops that tracks technician material usage, automates reorders, manages multi-location orders from a single login, and is monetized on a pay-as-you-go basis with a claimed ~$200 per recoverable uplift. In December 2025, Colours also began offering PPG VisualizID digital color retrieval software for the Delfleet Evolution commercial coatings line.

Revenue mechanics combine (1) physical paint and supply distribution across automotive, commercial/fleet, and industrial segments, (2) recurring M.E.R.E. SaaS subscriptions, and (3) professional services including technical support, hands-on training, equipment installation, and SOP consulting. Customers are predominantly SMB collision repair centers and body shops, with secondary segments in fleet and commercial vehicle operators, dealership paint departments, and technical schools receiving donated product and scholarship support. Sales motion is a hybrid of physical retail, daily field sales routes, direct-to-customer pickup/delivery, and an annual trade show at Kalahari Convention Center drawing 1,000+ attendees and 90+ vendors. The company remains family-controlled, with no institutional equity or external capital disclosed.

Name

Colours

Legal name

Colours, Inc.

Website

https://gocolours.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Colours, Inc. is a family-owned, PPG Platinum Distributor operating 60+ retail stores across 13+ U.S. states, supplying automotive, fleet, and industrial refinish paints plus its M.E.R.E. cloud-based inventory management SaaS to collision repair shops and commercial customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Paint Distribution

SIC

Wholesale-Motor Vehicle Supplies & New Parts (5013)

akta.pro primary industry

Paint, refinishing & body shop supplies distribution (coatings, abrasives, tools, consumables) (CRAOANAF)

Keywords

• Automotive paint distribution
• Refinish coatings
• Collision repair supplies
• Fleet and industrial coatings
• Inventory management software

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilkes Barre

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices56 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Automotive Paint and Supplies Distribution: Sale of automotive refinish paints, primers, clear coats, and detailing supplies to collision repair centers, body shops, and dealerships through a network of 60+ retail store locations across the U.S.
2. Commercial and Industrial Coatings: Distribution of commercial coatings including truck, fleet, and industrial manufacturing paints such as Delfleet Evolution, Delfleet Essential, and Versolon product lines.
3. M.E.R.E. Inventory Management Services: Software-as-a-service offering providing inventory management, ordering optimization, and material tracking for collision repair shops. Includes setup, training, and ongoing support.
4. Technical Support and Training: Expert technical support, hands-on training, and professional services including equipment installations, SOP development, and paint shop performance consulting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Colours, Inc. distributes automotive refinish paints, primers, clear coats, detailing supplies, and commercial/industrial coatings through a network of 60+ company-owned retail stores and field sales operations, primarily serving collision repair shops, fleet operators, and dealerships. The company complements product distribution with hands-on technical training, equipment installation, custom paint mixing, and a proprietary cloud-based M.E.R.E. inventory management software for collision repair shops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• M.E.R.E. (Managing Everything Required Efficiently): An inventory management solution for collision shops that helps streamline operations, reduce waste, and manage product inventory to boost profitability.

Products and services

• Automotive Refinish Paint & Supplies Distribution Distribution of automotive refinish paints, primers, clear coats, and detailing supplies from PPG and other leading brands (SEM, 3M, Norton, DeVilbiss, Meguiars) to collision repair centers, body shops, and dealerships through 60+ retail store locations across the U.S. with daily delivery service.
• Commercial and Industrial Coatings Distribution Distribution of commercial coatings including truck, fleet, and industrial manufacturing paints from PPG's Delfleet Evolution, Delfleet Essential, and Versolon product lines, along with tailored application support and consulting.
• M.E.R.E. (Managing Everything Required Efficiently) Inventory Management Software Cloud-based inventory management software for collision repair shops that streamlines ordering, tracks inventory in real time, manages technician product checkout, and supports multi-location management from a single login across desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
• Technical Support, Training & Equipment Installation Services Expert technical support, hands-on training, professional services including equipment installations, SOP development, and paint shop performance consulting delivered by dedicated field sales representatives and in-store staff.

Quantifiable outcome

• Shops using M.E.R.E. gain an average of $200 per recoverable through accurate material tracking and billing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Fox Valley Auto PaintminorOthers · 1 August 2025Colours acquired Fox Valley Auto Paint's locations in Rockford and Aurora, Illinois, effective August 2025. This acquisition expanded Colours' footprint in Illinois with Store #061 and Store #062.
• Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2025Colours supports collision repair education through in-kind donations of paint products, tools, and training materials to technical schools across the U.S. The company donated over $200,000 in supplies and has sponsored CREF's Annual Golf Fundraiser.
• PPG, SEM, 3M, Norton, Gliptone, National Oak Distributors, Automotive Systems Warehouse, Innovative Tools and TechnologiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 March 2025Key vendors and sponsors of Colours' annual trade show event. These partners showcase products and provide exclusive trade show specials during the NEPA Collision Trade Show at Kalahari Convention Center.
• The Luzerne FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Colours partnered with The Luzerne Foundation to manage the Dino Rossi Education Fund, which provides scholarships for students pursuing collision repair education. The foundation handles charitable fund management with transparency and long-term vision.
• PPG IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1986Colours operates as a PPG Platinum Distributor, providing PPG automotive refinish, commercial, and industrial coating products to collision repair shops and fleet operators. This long-standing partnership (since 1986) provides access to PPG's technology, training, and support programs. Colours has been recognized multiple times as PPG Distributor of the Year.
• SEM, 3M, PPG, Norton, DeVilbiss, MeguiarscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorName-brand products carried by Colours stores including refinish supplies, spray guns, sandpaper, and detailing products from industry-leading manufacturers.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Coatings & Supplies (Single Source Inc.): National U.S. distributor of PPG, Axalta and other automotive refinish brands to collision repair centers via company-owned stores – the closest direct comparable to Colours in product mix and channel.
• FinishMaster (AutoZone): Historically the largest U.S. PPG Platinum distributor of automotive paint and supplies, now part of AutoZone; operates a multi-store B2B distribution model that directly overlaps Colours in target customer and product set.

Broad incumbents

• Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes: Diversified coatings giant with an Automotive Finishes division that distributes through stores and direct channels; overlaps with Colours' commercial coatings and fleet finishes portfolio from a much larger parent.
• Axalta Coating Systems: Global manufacturer and distributor of refinish brands (Cromax, Standox, Spies Hecker); competes with PPG's portfolio that Colours distributes and serves the same collision-repair end market through third-party distributors.
• BASF Coatings (Refinish Solutions): Refinish brand owner (Glasurit, R-M, LIMCO) distributing through independent networks globally; competes for the same collision-shop wallet and offers shop tooling and color-matching technology similar to PPG LINQ.
• LKQ Corporation: Largest U.S. distributor of aftermarket vehicle parts and paint/refinish supplies; carries competing product lines and serves body shops through a national network that overlaps parts of Colours' footprint.
• PPG Industries (Refinish business): Colours' principal supplier and the upstream brand owner controlling the Platinum Distributor program; represents both Colours' biggest partnership and the strategic ceiling on its distribution channel.
• NAPA Auto Parts (Genuine Parts Company): Nationally distributed auto parts network selling paint and refinish supplies alongside parts; competes for the smaller end of Colours' SMB collision shop customer base, especially in geographies where NAPA density exceeds Colours'.

Emerging players

• Kirker Automotive Finishes: Manufacturer and distributor of refinish coatings and related shop products sold to collision shops; a smaller, vertically-integrated peer whose product range partially overlaps Colours' secondary lines.

Regional players

• Keeler Auto Body Supply / regional Midwest distributors: Smaller regional automotive paint distributors concentrated in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic that compete head-to-head with Colours for shop-level accounts outside the Platinum program tier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Coloursinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/100057371691395
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colours-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/colours.inc/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Colours