National Buying Consortium to launch in July

The National Buying Consortium (NBC) is set to launch in July, with the buying group partnering with wholesalers and suppliers to offer what it calls “a forward-thinking and unified delivered wholesale solution to the UK market.”

Lansdell Soft Drinks sales director at Stuart Lane has been announced as chairman. He is joined by deputy chairman Jason Langmead, managing director at V.W.T. Wholesalers & Distributors; and former Confex senior business development director David Lunt, who has been named as managing director and will lead the organisation’s day-to-day operations.

The members recently announced their departure from fellow buying group Confex, with a NBC statement explaining that they will all now be given the opportunity to influence the development and management of the group.

Lane said: “We are excited about this new venture and creating a group that is solely owned by the members. We look forward to working closely with all suppliers that will be affiliated to the NBC. NBC and our members are keen to support these suppliers and the brands they represent to develop strong working relationships that are mutually beneficial.”

In addition to NBC, the team are also launching the National Distribution Network (NDN), a flexible warehousing and logistics service that supports members’ businesses who cannot meet supplier direct account criteria by offering lower minimum orders at net pricing across a wide range of products.

“The creation of NBC and NDN has been extremely well-received by the industry,” added Lunt. “We already have over 20 high-profile independent wholesalers on board across a wide variety of sectors and this number is growing weekly. We have also had very positive feedback from market-leading suppliers. I am keen to speak to other like-minded companies that are interested in joining our unique collaboration.”