R Mitchell and Sons was formed in 1917 as a building company, and through the years built many houses in the Brighton and Hove area. As was fairly common at that time, the company opened a Builder and Decorators shop in London Road, Brighton. With the passing of Mr R Mitchell, and the approach of World War II, the building company ceased its operations, leaving the Decorators Merchants which was run by his son, Mr G Mitchell. Even in the late 1930's Mitchells sold cellulose to the car repair trade, and we still have one customer who was buying from us in those early years. With the growth of the motor industry in the 1960's and 1970's and the changing pattern of trading, Mitchells placed more emphasis on car paints as opposed to decorative finishes. The 1980's saw the arrival of two pack paints for the more technically advanced bodyshops, and Mitchells became 100% dedicated to supplying the Automotive Refinish industry. Mitchells also opened an additional branch in Crawley. As refinishing technology and needs of the bodyshops changed during the late 80's and 90's, so Mitchells adjusted to their customers' requirements. Mitchells now have under one roof, the facilities to look after bodyshop needs for the environmentally friendly 21st century as well as the facilities for in-house theory training for customers. Mitchells also have their own demonstrator for on-site training. Together with our large storage facilities, modern technology and a dedicated staff, Mitchells have adjusted to the latest trends in the Refinish trade. Additionally Mitchells belong to national independent distributor groups such as NIBS, UPD & ACIS. We are effectively able to give bodyshops a personal service as a major independent distributor, with the backing support of independent national distribution. In August 2000, Spraystore in Eastbourne became a Mitchells company to further enhance Mitchells' ability to service the Sussex area.