MERCHANT FOCUS: 3 COUNTIES TIMBER & BUILDING SUPPLIES
TOGETHER B
STANDING STRONGER
Independent merchants looking to strengthen their position in the market can work closely with buying groups, without being restricted in their choice of products. 3 Counties Timber & Building Supplies tells BMJ about the growth of their business and why they chose to join the IBC Buying Group.
y their very nature, buying groups exist to create partnerships between suppliers and merchants. Through their combined buying power they offer exclusive prices, special offers and terms to independent builders’ merchants, while giving building material suppliers access to hundreds of independent merchants all in one place. Some merchants decide against joining a buying group because of concerns that some of their choice may be taken away, and they will have to purchase every product through the buying group, losing their valued independence. But the Independent Buying Consortium does things differently, working to create partnerships of strength and value without demanding that the merchant sacrifices their independence, or requiring them to spend time sitting on committees negotiating deals.
It was this flexibility that convinced 3 Counties Timber & Building Supplies to first join IBC back in 2012, despite their previous scepticism of the value that a buying group could offer.
Richard Dawson, managing director of 3 Counties, explains: “In truth, we had always been a little bit sceptical of these sorts of things, and of allowing people to interfere with our business.”
Dawson had extensive experience as a merchant, having previously worked for both national and independent businesses, and felt that over-regulation in the supply chain – particularly in regard to purchasing – had actually become a barrier to trade. “The appeal of IBC was that the members still had a choice in what they purchased,” he says. “The deals were there, but you don’t
have to agree to every single one of them. It was their flexibility that we found refreshing, and it really made us think that we had little to lose by joining them.”
Over the years IBC has been a useful ally to 3 Counties, offering them help and advice when needed, and also stepping in to support the merchant during times when product shortages in the market were making it difficult to get hold of vital stock – particularly during the last few years.
“That’s the whole point of a buying group,” Dawson continues. “You’re stronger together than you are alone, and they help you stand out from the competition – especially as an independent merchant. Through IBC we’ve had access to products and suppliers that we might not have been able to secure ourselves – they’re offering us a good service.” IBC’s commercial director Paul Read says: “3 Counties typifies how IBC and its member partners work closely together to maximise the benefits of belonging to IBC. We negotiate national and regional supply deals on behalf of our members so they don’t have to, freeing up significant amounts of their time to focus on growing and developing their business.” As an IBC member, 3 Counties has access to strong pricing deals and a wide range of powerful marketing and business tools that
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www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net September 2019
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