Helping independent merchants buy better
National Buying Group (NBG) helps independent merchants to sustain and grow their businesses through the power of partnership.
Why become
an NBG Partner?
If you’re an independent builders’ merchant, you’re regularly faced with a growing number of challenges, from margin pressure and increased competition to rising operational costs and pressure to invest in emerging technologies. This is where National Buying Group can help.
Becoming an NBG Partner means much more than accessing competitive pricing from an enviable list of Suppliers. Choosing to join NBG means you will benefit from a raft of competitive advantages, including:
Excellence in Buying
You can expect better prices, improved terms and strong Supplier agreements that help improve the profitability of your business.
A Supportive Community
As a Partner, you will have access to peer support, knowledge sharing, and an independent merchant network with a collaborative culture to ensure teams can keep learning.
Enhancing Business Performance
You will be able to unlock growth opportunities, shared expertise and operational improvement through access to unrivalled systems. These include our Hub, Product Information Management (PIM+) system and automated rebate collection.
How the
partnership works
Every National Buying Group Partner has an equal say. Our ‘one Partner, one vote’ approach means decisions are driven by independent merchants, not shareholders. You will set the priorities, voting on all decisions that impact the group.
As a result, joining NBG as a Partner means becoming a key player in the running of the buying group. Your ideas, experiences and opinions will shape how NBG operates and ensure the best deals are achieved for our merchant network.
Our Partners include general and specialist independent builders’ merchants operating across the building materials, roofing, plumbing and timber sectors and beyond – all interested in a democratic partnership that puts your business first and delivers tangible business impact.
Our Systems
Hub
You will benefit from access to an efficient communication system, the ‘Hub,’ that provides automatic management and processing of rebates. It also grants you access to a host of promotions and product information and, importantly, Supplier agreements and terms.
PIM+
Our very own Product Information Management (PIM+) system is regarded as best-in-class, offering your business easy access to Supplier product information and pricing. The system includes up-to-date product data and images to support your marketing.
Auto rebate collection
You can reduce the administrative burden of rebate collection through the Hub’s automated collection service. This improves efficiency by supporting smoother business processes and providing your business with better visibility of rebate performance.
How to become an NBG Partner
The steps to becoming a National Buying Group Partner are as follows:
Enquiry
The first step in the journey to becoming an NBG Partner is to enquire with the buying group’s friendly team of experts. Simply use our contact form, and NBG will get the process started.
Assessment
Once you get in touch with NBG, we will work with you to understand business objectives and plans for the future of your business.
Acceptance
If the partnership is deemed to be a good mutual fit, you will embark on the next chapter as a Partner of a nationwide independent merchant buying group – where everyone has an equal voice.
Participation
After settling in, you’ll actively participate in the running of the buying group and benefit from enhanced buying power, Supplier relationships and business support. Every step of the way, NBG’s Central Team, Suppliers and other NBG Partners will be there to provide you with expert advice and professional support.
Testimonials
What Do our
Partners Say?
“We’ve not looked back since joining NBG – it’s been a massive asset to the business. The extra buying power and the strength of being part of the group really changes how we’re seen in the market.”
Matt Matharu
Director General Manager at BuildLand
“There’s a genuine sense of camaraderie among NBG members, like-minded individuals facing similar day-to-day challenges, yet working together in a supportive and collaborative way.”
Martyn Duquemin
Managing Director at Duquemin & Ozanne
“Since joining, we’ve been able to buy directly from Suppliers we couldn’t reach before, and that’s given us better pricing. NBG has helped in areas like UPVC plastics, and that means we can offer our customers more competitive quotes.”
Gavin Smith
Sales Director at Anderson Roofing
FAQs
Independent merchants that want to sustain, strengthen and grow their businesses while remaining proudly independent. Both general and specialist merchants operating across various sectors are welcome. Merchants must be willing to engage with the partnership and add to the group’s collaborative culture.
National Buying Group Partners remain independent while benefitting from the strength and scale of NBG. Buying group participation can mean following the crowd, but with NBG’s democratic ‘one Partner, one vote’ approach, no matter their size, Partners all have equal influence. Decisions are Partner-led, not shareholder driven.
Agreements are confirmed by NBG’s Category Management Teams (CMTs). These CMTs comprise our Partners and Buyers who use market knowledge and expertise to help shape buying decisions. Agreements reflect the real-world needs of independent merchants.
Partners gain access to a national network of independent merchants for peer support, collaboration and knowledge sharing, as well as access to competitive Supplier agreements. Ongoing support is available from the Central Team with Partner inductions and ongoing training. NBG also operate a buddy system where new Partners are matched with a Partner regionally and by specialism.