With an over-arching theme of ‘Sharing Success’ the recent National Buying Group (NBG) Conference, held at the prestigious Celtic Manor resort hotel, offered two days of intense networking for its merchant members and supplier partners.
Day one saw a mix of social activities in addition to the formal proceedings of the AGM and a New Product Showcase, rounded off by a relaxed, motor sports-themed welcome dinner. A sizeable Exhibition opened its doors early on Day two and remained very busy throughout, ahead of the evening’s Gala Dinner and Supplier Awards.
James Norton, Group Managing Director of Frank Key Group and Executive Vice Chairman of NBG, welcomed the delegates to the Gala Dinner before handing over to NBG Chairman, David Szymanski. Referencing the event’s Sharing Succes theme, David acknowledged the great turnout – almost all NBG merchant business were represented – and noted that: “Relationships are key to NBG. The dynamics have to be right and we have to work together. For us to share success, it has to be a two-way street
“Membership continues to grow and there has been significant investment in processes and efficiencies which mean we can concentrate on key tasks. For example, 100% of rebates are now delivered through the NBG Hub, replacing tedious and time-consuming admin activities. Going forward, we can look forward to ‘win-win’ deals and a brighter future for us all.”
The next stage of the evening was the NBG Supplier Awards. As selected by the appropriate category teams, the Awards were presented by the night’s after dinner speaker, Welsh rugby legend Jonathan Davies. The winners were as follows:
Bricks & Blocks: Forterra (nominated: H+H, Ibstock)
Civils & Landscaping: Clark-Drain (nominated: A&G, Aggregate Industries)
Decorating & Hardware: TIMco (nominated: Carlisle Design, Crown Paints)
General Build: Siniat (nominated: Everbuild, Catnic)
Plumbing, Heating & Showrooms: Vado (nominated: Merlyn, Robert Lee)
Roofing & Insulation: Knauf Insulation (nominated: Ruberoid IKO, Quinn-Therm)
Timber: Arbor Forest Products (nominated: Unilin)
Tools & Workwear: Ox (nominated: Makita, Toolbank)
Account Manager of the Year: John Gaunt, Knauf Insulation (nominated: Aaron Frogley, Vado; Krystal Williams, Aggregate Industries)
