Our origins.
We were founded in 1998 as an independent merchant buying group, with a small number of members in the Hertfordshire & Buckinghamshire area – hence ‘h&b’. In 2008 our membership effectively doubled when we merged with West Country buying group WBM, and in 2010 the h&b Buying Group LLP was formally incorporated, operating from its HQ in Milton Keynes.
Our acquisition of the Timber Buying Group (TBG) in 2017, not only supported established and smaller merchants, but increased our total members significantly. A year later we launched the TBG Development Group – a dedicated tier allowing smaller or emerging independent merchants access to negotiated deals and support to grow towards full membership.
Steady growth.
From 2020 full members were enrolled into BMF membership under a group membership scheme, with the aim of strengthening training, networking and industry representation – an arrangement later extended to the h&b Development Group (now Gateway).
At that point we had more than 100 members – typically family-owned, financially independent merchants vetted for quality, service commitment and growth potential. With a collective buying power approaching £1 billion, h&b is now one of the UK’s largest and most successful buying organisations in the building materials sector.
Our role and purpose.
h&b’s core mission has remained consistent since the very start:
- Negotiate supplier deals, on behalf of our members to secure better pricing and supply terms.
- Support independent merchant competitiveness against larger national chains.
- Provide industry connections, commercial advantages and business growth pathways through collaborative buying power and own brand opportunities.