WELCOME AND CONTENTS Moving Forwards


IT’S BEEN QUITE A year since BMJ last published a special supplement on behalf of the National Buying Group. The industry begun last year with the determination to move out of the shadow of Covid, only for the invasion of Ukraine to play havoc with supply chains, both of materials and energy.


If the Covid pandemic caused NBG Partners and Suppliers to work closer together, then 2022 proved even more the benefits of close collaboration, whether on deals or service issues.


The coming year will see NBG start to move forward in a slightly slimmed down format, the departure of IBMG having taken effect from January 1. However, as the issues we cover in this supplement show, the group is gearing up to continue to grow and expand.


The first full-on NBG Conference and Exhibition for three years, held in November at the state-of-the- art International Convention Centre Wales, showed that, more than ever, Partners and Suppliers need to communicate in person. Microsoft Teams is all very well, but it can’t compete with the real world. The strength of the partnerships, both between Partners themselves and with Suppliers, will help with the challenges still to come during 2023. Energy costs are only going in one direction, supply issues are continuing to cause problems throughout the chain and, like it or not, a recession is heading our way. The only uncertainty about that is how deep and for how long. In any case, surviving it means that Partners and Suppliers will have to communicate and work together. Luckily, the experiences of the past couple of years, and the evidence that we’ve highlighted in this supplement, shows that this is something NBG Partners and Suppliers are pretty good at. Fiona Russell Horne Group Managing Editor Builders Merchants Journal


AS A GROUP, NBG have always been about buying better and building brands, both those of our Suppliers to NBG and our own merchant Partners. Buying, however, goes hand-in-hand with selling, and by working together, and communicating better together, we can ensure that we all get the most out of both of those vital aspects of the supply chain. NBG is in a good place and so are our Partners, 23 of whom have said that they are planning to open new branches in the next two years. It’s good news for NBG, and it’s also good news for our Suppliers, because NBG are, and always will be, brand supporters. We have no own-brand; we want to work with Suppliers to sell their products and their brands. Covid did cause some issues with deal compliance due to supply issues, so in 2023 we are absolutely committed to getting that back to where it should be. The business landscape has changed, it is continuing to do so, but the strength of NBG has always been that we meet the challenges together. Nick Oates,


NBG Managing Director


Published by BUILDERS MERCHANTS JOURNAL, on behalf of NBG, the National Buying Group.


Datateam Business Media, 15A London Road, Maidstone, Kent,


ME16 8LY Tel: 01622 687031 www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net EDITORIAL


Group Managing Editor: Fiona Russell Horne 01622 699101 frussell-horne@datateam.co.uk


Assistant Editor:


Anjali Sooknanan 01622 699106 asooknanan@datateam.co.uk


Production Controller: Nic Mandeville


nmandeville@datateam.co.uk


Art Editor: Steve Stanton


28 Building Strong Brands Networking is key to NBG’s way of building stong brands.


© Datateam Business Media Ltd 2023. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photo-copying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher. The title Builders Merchants Journal is registered at Stationers’ Hall.


January 2023 3 ADVERTISING


Group Sales Manager: Dawn Tucker 01622 699148 dtucker@datateam.co.uk


Publisher: Paul Ryder, pryder@datateam.co.uk


21 Supplier Profile: Mannok The 2022 Conference Headline Sponsor on working closely with NBG and its Partners.


22 NBG Sustainability Project The Sustainability Project explained.


24 New Product Showcase The New Products specially selected for release at the NBG Conference.


CONTENTS 5 View From The Top


A look at where NBG is and where it’s going from the MD and the Chairman.


8 Supplier Summit Report A look at some of the issues to come from the Supplier Summit.


10 Partner Profile: Cartmore Building Supplies


How membership of NBG helped Cartmore display its wares.


12 ERP Update


How ERP is helping to improve Partners’ businesses.


13 Partner Profile: B&P Superstore


Changing in size means changing the business culture.


14 NBG Survey Results What the Partners really think.


16 NBG Awards 2022 The winning brands and companies revealed.


19 The Youth Window How we can open up the sector to younger people.


20 Partner Profile: Habco NBG Partnership helps a merchant business that set up in lockdown.


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