MERCHANT FOCUS: FLOYDS BUILDERS MERCHANT
ELEVATION, EXPANSION, EFFICIENCY
The ability to adapt and innovate is key to sustained success, as a builders merchant. Stephen Floyd, director at Floyds Builders Merchant tells BMJ how the company, a new Partner to National Buying Group used the group to help it do just that.
H
aving spent over thirty years in the trade, I had always been aware of NBG. One of my first encounters was through some of the larger and more successful merchants, whose operations I admired greatly. NBG stood out because of its substantial buying power, reputation for supporting its members, and the collaborative culture that promotes mutual growth and sharing of best practices.
Compared to other buying groups, NBG’s member-centric approach and impressive track
record were key factors in our eventual decision to join.
Despite my interest, I knew that Floyds Builders Merchant did not meet the stringent criteria required for membership, in large part because we weren’t yet hitting the turnover needed to become a Partner. However, significant changes in our business over the past few years have reshaped our position. These changes included moving to a bigger site which allowed us to have a bigger stock range and negotiate better deals. By making changes
that improved our business operations, we were simultaneously moving toward the high standards that NBG requires of its Partners. Since relocating from Peckham in 2019 to our new 1.1-acre site in Lee, South East London, our business has experienced substantial growth. The move was driven by the need for a larger space to accommodate our expanding operations and improve efficiency. The new site offered better accessibility and storage capacity which has been instrumental in handling increased demand. This expansion also led us to outgrow our previous buying group, making it clear that we needed to explore new opportunities. A couple of years after our relocation, I decided to approach NBG.
The decision to switch Our initial contact was with Phil Bonar, Head of New Partner Development and Recruitment at NBG. Phil visited our new site and engaged in detailed discussions about the possibility of joining NBG and whether we met their membership criteria. I
nitially, I was interested because of the potential for better procurement deals, the opportunity to leverage collective bargaining power, and the networking opportunities that could provide insights and support from peers in the industry. Confident that we now met all the requirements, I was optimistic about the potential benefits.
Transitioning to NBG was not a decision made lightly. Over the years, we had developed
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www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net September 2024
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