SUMMARY
This summary highlights information about us and the notes being offered by this prospectus supplement. This summary is not complete and
may not contain all of the information that you should consider prior to investing in our notes. For a more complete understanding of our company, we encourage you to read this entire prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including
the information incorporated by reference and the other documents to which we have referred you.
Our Business
The Sherwin-Williams Company, founded in 1866, and its consolidated wholly owned subsidiaries are engaged in the development, manufacture,
distribution and sale of paint, coatings and related products to professional, industrial, commercial and retail customers primarily in North and South America with additional operations in the Caribbean region, Europe, Asia and Australia. The
Company manufactures products under well-known brands such as Sherwin-Williams
®
, Valspar
®
, HGTV HOME
®
by Sherwin-Williams, Dutch Boy
®
, Krylon
®
, Minwax
®
, Thompsons
®
Water Seal
®
,
Cabot
®
and many more. With global headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio,
Sherwin-Williams
®
branded products are sold exclusively through a chain of more than 4,900 company-operated stores and facilities, while the Companys other brands are sold through
leading mass merchandisers, home centers, independent paint dealers, hardware stores, automotive retailers, and industrial distributors. The Sherwin-Williams Performance Coatings Group supplies a broad range of highly-engineered solutions for the
construction, industrial, packaging and transportation markets in more than 120 countries around the world. The Company is structured into three reportable segmentsThe Americas Group, Consumer Brands Group and Performance Coatings
Groupand an Administrative segment. The Company reports its segment information in the same way that it is internally organized for assessing performance and making decisions regarding allocation of resources.
The Americas Group
The Americas
Group consisted of 4,696 company-operated specialty paint stores in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean region at December 31, 2018. Each store in this segment is engaged in servicing the needs of architectural and
industrial paint contractors and
do-it-yourself
homeowners. The Americas Group company-owned stores market and sell Sherwin-Williams
®
and other controlled brand architectural paint and coatings, protective and marine products, original equipment manufacturer, which we refer to in this prospectus supplement as OEM, product
finishes and related products. The majority of these products are produced by manufacturing facilities in the Consumer Brands Group. In addition, each store sells selected purchased associated products. In addition to our stores in the Latin America
region, The Americas Group meets regional customer demands through developing, licensing, manufacturing, distributing and selling a variety of architectural paints, coatings and related products in North and South America. At December 31, 2018,
The Americas Group consisted of operations from subsidiaries in 10 foreign countries. During 2018, this segment opened 76 net new stores, consisting of 91 new stores opened (74 in the United States, 16 in Canada, and 1 in South America) and 15
stores closed (1 in the United States, 2 in Canada, 11 in South America and 1 in Mexico).
Consumer Brands Group
The Consumer Brands Group supplies a broad portfolio of branded and private-label architectural paint, stains, varnishes, industrial products,
wood finishes products, wood preservatives, applicators, corrosion inhibitors, aerosols, caulks and adhesives to retailers and distributors throughout North America, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, China and Europe. The Consumer Brands Group
also supports the Companys other businesses around the world with new product research and development, manufacturing, distribution and logistics. At December 31, 2018, the Consumer Brands Group consisted of operations in the United
States and subsidiaries in 6 foreign countries, including company-operated outlets in Australia and New Zealand.