PARTNER FOCUS


many companies don’t fully trade online, for example, it’s a huge opportunity for them and for all the younger people who are coming through. Younger people aren’t scared of those advancements because we’ve grown up with them. When I was 11, say, flip-phones were all the rage, now I’ve got a computer in my pocket, that’s how far and how fast things have changed.”


“Young people are always going to be receptive to that sort of change because they have lived through so much already. That kind of openness to new things can really help a business. That’s where bringing younger merchants into contact with the more established people in the industry can really help, it restores the balance. You want a bit of traditionalism and experience so that we don’t end up making the same mistakes as others before us - and learning the lessons but also bringing in a new perspective.”


One of the things that the Young Merchants group has been getting involved with is the BMF Ambassador programme, taking the message to the wider world that there is a


diverse range of opportunities available to young people joining the industry. “There’s still an impression out there that youngsters - and maybe their parents too - think ‘builders merchant’ means a forklift driver or sweeping up in the yard. Whereas there is a huge range of careers associated with this industry and we’d love to get that across to more people.


“The problem we have is that no-one leaves school and says that they want to be a builder’s merchant unless their family name is over the door. Younger people can really benefit the industry, but it works the other way too, Parlato says.


“I’ve had some amazing experiences through my roles, both with Young Merchants and NBG,” Parlato says. “In my case, I’ve been all round this country and all over Europe with NBG and the BMF. The development opportunities available to you and the different career paths you could follow in merchanting are amazing. Pick a job, any job, and there is probably that sort of aspect anywhere in merchanting; sales for example,


marketing, accountancy, merchandising: the array of jobs and the opportunities that come with that are incredible.” It’s so important to have a solid management churn of people coming through the industry,” he continues. “And you need a good variety of people too. Since I joined, the organisation has got noticeably more diverse. With the last few conferences I’ve been to, the attendance figures have probably been split evenly between men and women, which shows you how the dynamic is changing. And changing in a good way. If that’s the young merchants’ demographic, then some of those people will be moving into the board rooms of the Merchants and Suppliers in due course.


“You get solidity of diversity by changing things from the bottom; if you fly people in at higher levels you run the risk of tokenism. It’s the difference between paying lip service to an idea and truly getting behind it. That’s one of the reasons I am so passionate about developing the Young Merchants. We really are the future of the industry.”


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January 2022


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