Sherwin-Williams makes and sells paint and coatings, operating both a large network of company-owned retail stores that sell directly to professional painters and a separate business supplying paint to industrial and retail customers. Its store network, largely serving professional contractors rather than casual do-it-yourself customers, gives Sherwin-Williams direct control over pricing, customer service and store locations in a way that selling only through third-party retailers wouldn't allow. Demand for its products is tied to both new construction and, more significantly, to repainting and maintenance of existing homes and buildings, which provides a steadier base of demand than new construction alone would. The company has grown partly through acquisitions of other paint and coatings businesses, expanding its industrial coatings segment which serves manufacturers in automotive, aerospace and other industries beyond its core architectural paint business.