NEWS EXTRA: NMBS CONFERENCE 2026 NMBS MOVES BEYOND BUYING
NMBS is evolving into a broader trading platform powered by data, automation and digital connectivity, CEO Kevin Williams told delegates at the NMBS Conference.
HE SAID THAT while the organisation is changing, it remains firmly rooted in the principles that it established from the start. “NMBS isn’t standing still,” he said. “We are a scale organisation, and we continue to grow and evolve. We started as a buying group in the 1960s. That no longer tells the whole story. However, it is the foundation on which we are built.”
Williams said the merchanting sector increasingly requires visibility, trusted partnerships and reliability, but also needs access to better information to make smarter commercial decisions. “My update today is about where we are, why we still matter and where we are going,” he told delegates.
He emphasised that NMBS’s future strategy is being built on its existing strengths, including scale, trust and financial resilience, while adding new capabilities through technology,
automation and data-driven insight.
“Our future is being built upon the foundation of NMBS’s buying heritage, in parallel with the trust that’s been earned. We are beginning to layer on additional value through the use of data, automation and AI, while continuing to grow, leverage scale and find new ways to create value.”
Williams highlighted the organisation’s continued growth.“Our turnover is the bedrock of our scale,” he said. “It’s a key reason we attract more than 40 new suppliers every year. The rebate we pay our members is why we retain them, and it’s a big motivation as to why they join us at a rate of over 60 every year. With nearly 1,400 members, nearly 5,000 locations and over 600 suppliers, we are a practical trading network,” Williams said. “That’s demonstrated by the three million interactions every
The NMBS digital journey NMBS commercial director Andy Hextall dived deeper into NMBS’ digital and AI plans.
1. NMBS is investing heavily in back-office modernisation
The organisation is upgrading the systems that underpin its trading platform to improve efficiency, resilience and scalability as transaction volumes continue to grow.
2. Core systems are moving to the cloud NMBS is migrating Microsoft Business Central from an on-premise solution to a SaaS platform, providing greater flexibility, stronger disaster recovery capabilities and improved long-term reliability.
3. Automation is reducing manual workloads New AI-powered Copilot agents and automation tools are helping staff complete routine tasks faster, with some processes being reduced from hours to minutes.
4. Improved processes will boost accuracy By streamlining data flows and removing manual
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intervention wherever possible, NMBS aims to reduce errors and deliver quicker query resolution for members and suppliers.
5. Digital connectivity is focused on making trade easier
The next phase of development centres on reducing friction throughout the trading journey, giving users better access to information and improved visibility across transactions.
6. OnePlace is receiving major upgrades A new search engine and refreshed user experience are being introduced to make it easier for merchants to find products and for suppliers to showcase their ranges.
7. Data Plus is becoming a more unified platform
Additional functionality is being consolidated into Data Plus, reducing the number of systems users need to access and creating a simpler digital experience.
8. Data and insight will drive better commercial decisions
NMBS is expanding its ability to analyse market activity, helping merchants and suppliers identify growth opportunities, track category performance and spot emerging trends.
9. AI is transforming product categorisation
A new AI-driven categorisation tool enables NMBS to organise vast numbers of SKUs with a level of detail that was previously impractical, creating richer and more valuable insights.
10. The goal is a stronger trading platform for the future
By combining transactional data, product information, analytics, automation and digital connectivity, NMBS aims to create a trading platform that is more efficient, insightful, connected and resilient, supporting the sector for decades to come.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net July 2026
year – orders, invoices and even conversations. And that’s why we still matter.”
Williams argued that NMBS’s value becomes most visible during difficult market conditions. He pointed to its insurance-backed guaranteed payment model, which remains a key attraction for suppliers and members alike. “When the market is good and trade is easy, value gets hidden by growth,” he said. “When things are tougher, we find out what really matters, and that’s guaranteed payment, trusted partners, access to suppliers, member rebate and strong credit discipline.”
NMBS’s next stage of development would be driven by improving efficiency rather than simply expanding scale, he said. “At our size, the next performance jump comes from working smarter,” he said. “Through better process flows, better data quality, more
automation and less human handoff during the trading process. Our next phase is to move from buying power to trading power. Buying power remains important, it always will. But the sector needs more than terms and rebates alone.” He explained that trading power means connecting the elements that make transactions happen, including orders, payments, product information, insights and support. Members and suppliers, he said,
increasingly require “less friction, greater visibility, faster ways to trade, cleaner information, fewer errors and more confidence that the process will work”. Technology and automation will play a critical role in delivering
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