Wilf Noble has become the latest Development Group member to graduate to h&b’s primary group. Using the group’s buying deals and a network of support from fellow merchants, Wilf Noble has reportedly grown its turnover and proved its compliance, making the Yorkshire-based single branch operation the ideal candidate for promotion to the main h&b group.
The h&b Development Group was conceived as a new concept to help small to medium-sized independent merchant businesses to take advantage of the group’s buying deals and business support to grow turnover, profitability and professionalism. It aims to provide smaller merchants a pathway to membership of the main buying group and all the benefits that offers.
Wilf Noble was one of the first Development Group members and the management team claims to have been pleasantly surprised that h&b has offered them much more than the great buying deals that they joined for. “Joining a buying group was a big step for us as an independent family-run business,” says MD Catherine Noble. “But as soon as we joined we knew we had made the right decision. The feel of the group, the professional culture, has really helped us through the process. The whole team has helped, guided and developed us through the whole process and being able to speak to fellow members who have been there, done that, has been a great advantage for us.”
While joining the Development Group has meant some big changes at Wilf Noble, primarily in buying, the merchant’s management team has been impressed with some of the buying benefits that h&b membership brings. “We are definitely buying smarter: more full loads, better deals, new suppliers,” says Catherine. “All of the big brands are now keen to talk to us and as well as better delivery terms and deals we have had improved allocations of key products. We are really excited to be joining the main group and looking forward to making a strong contribution to the Group to help grow everyone’s businesses.”
The Development Group is a completely new concept for the merchanting industry, offering carefully selected smaller merchants access to offers to a vast range of negotiated deals and a strategically mapped route to growth and success. It has a number of structures and strategies in place to help members to achieve the turnover required to take them to the next level. The h&b management team aim to reach a maximum of 25 Development Group Members.
Suitably qualified independent merchants can apply by emailing susan.simcock@handbgroup.com
