IN PERSON A FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Fiona Russell Horne sits down with Kevin Williams, the new CEO of buying society NMBS.
L
ike anyone with more than a passing knowledge of the UK merchanting industry, Kevin Williams, whose previous experience included time spent with Travis Perkins, was aware of the National Merchant Buying Society – NMBS. It was, however, only when he started down the road of replacing Chris Hayward, who stepped down after 47 years with the organisation, that he realised how much more than the sum of its parts NMBS is.
“I came into NMBS assuming it was primarily a buying group – albeit the largest one, with strong visibility. I was well aware of its size, scale, and longevity, and the value it has delivered over many years,” he says. “What surprised me was how different the reality is once you are inside the organisation. NMBS is so much more than people tend to think it is from the outside. Coming from a more nationally based background, I hadn’t previously used NMBS directly. I knew of it, I knew its scale, but I didn’t fully appreciate the breadth of what it does.”
Once he got on board, Williams says that he realised that, while it does all the things he expected it to do, it also does a great deal more, and how integral NMBS is to the merchant sector as a whole. “That distinction is important – that we work not just with independents, but on behalf of merchants across the sector. NMBS plays a quiet but vital role in supporting the ecosystem.” One of the things he says that he is most proud of already is the feedback from members, particularly smaller merchants who have set up in the last few years. “Many have told me that without NMBS, it would have been significantly harder for them to get established.
We provide access to the market, credit limits that can be used flexibly with a wide range of suppliers, and the confidence to trade and grow. Used well, that support can accelerate a business’s ability to make an impact and scale. “At the same time, we provide real security to suppliers – particularly small and medium- sized suppliers who rely heavily on our guaranteed, on-time payment pledge. That pledge matters. It provides confidence that they will be paid, even if we haven’t yet been paid ourselves, and that stability helps prevent knock-on effects across the supply chain.” He adds that, in challenging market conditions, that role becomes even more important. The last few years have been pretty turbulent. Despite the relative overall resilience of builders’ merchants, there has still been bad debt, business failures, and growing caution from insurers and credit providers. In those conditions, Williams says, NMBS arguably becomes even more valuable. “We are often most useful to the sector when times are tough.”
He points out that there have been periods in the past when credit insurers were extremely nervous about anything connected to construction, and that meant merchants struggled to get cover at all. That’s when NMBS stepped in, found solutions, and provided credit limits and confidence when the wider market pulled back. “We are not far from those kinds of conversations again. Providing optimal credit limits and standing behind our payment pledge remains a crucial part of our role.” He adds that it’s clear suppliers do sometimes see NMBS simply as an invoice-clearing house with a payment guarantee. “That is a core part of what we do, but it’s only part of the story.
What is sometimes overlooked is the strength of our connection to the membership. We make it easy for suppliers to transact with a large, clearly defined group of merchants, and when suppliers engage proactively with that membership, they can grow their sales.” There are, he says, many examples of suppliers who have done exactly that. These suppliers benefit from efficient systems, and guaranteed payments, but they also use the exhibitions, marketing packages, and direct engagement with members to build their businesses. The suppliers who get the most value are typically those who actively use the connection NMBS provides, rather than treating it as a passive clearing function.
“The same is true for members,” Williams adds. “Those who use our systems most fully – particularly OnePlace – tend to get the greatest benefit. OnePlace provides product information, connectivity, and ease of transaction. Even for suppliers, a member may only use it occasionally, but having an existing connection through NMBS removes friction. If a customer needs something urgently from a supplier you rarely use, you don’t want to wait days to set up an account. That immediacy matters.” One of the things that NMBS is particularly adept at is adding value in managing the “long tail” of suppliers – those with whom members transact infrequently but who still need to be part of the customer service fold. By giving members access to a wide supplier base through a single connection, Williams says that NMBS helps them respond faster and more flexibly to customer needs.
He says: “A significant amount of investment – time, expertise, and capital – has gone into building and evolving OnePlace. It has
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www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net January 2026
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