Buying groups hunt for new members

NBG looks to double membership while Brigantia lures resellers with new initiatives

The IT crowd: NBG and Brigantia are seeking higher membership intakes

Reseller groups Network Buying Group (NBG) and Brigantia are both making overtures to the channel as they target aggressive membership growth this year.

NBG recently appointed Phylip Morgan as managing director and, together with chairman Wayne Cockerill, he will carry out its recruitment strategy.

Cockerill revealed the not-for-profit organisation currently has 48 members, a figure he aims to swell to 60 this year and more than 80 by the end of 2011.

“NBG is owned by its members,” he said. “Our objective is to deliver the best terms and conditions to our members that are available.”

Morgan claimed the group was particularly adept at helping smaller vendors make a splash in the UK through its mix of members.

“We want to keep the balance of business-to-business and consumer partners and spread members geographically,” he said.

In return for an annual membership charge, members receive marketing support, the chance to air their views at NBG meetings and a range of other benefits.

Brigantia focuses on smal­ler players with turn­over of £300,000 to £600,000. Chair­man Iain Shaw claimed that membership is on the up, particularly among start-ups.

“We have had a churn where members have failed, left their businesses and started again,” he said.

Brigantia hopes to woo VARs by helping them win business through the Get Connected Investment Pro­ject, a capital investment scheme allowing the social care sector to invest in IT. Fujitsu, the scheme’s chosen hardware provider, recently partnered with Brigantia.

The buying group will work with US equivalent ASCII Group and the US National Education Founda­tion to offer members $800 (£550) vendor technical courses for as little as $60.