“The goal is 10,000 members by 2040, and our projections say we’re well ahead of schedule to get there,” says Carl Taylor, CEO of Combined Building Supplies Co-Operative (CBS Co-Op).
CBS Co-Op gives builders, designers, engineers, and other industry professionals the collective buying power of larger building groups by unlocking per year, which gives our shareholder members access to bulk discounts that level the playing field and enable them to compete with bulk pricing discounts from their extensive network of more than 30 supplier partners. “Tradies and independent building professionals often struggle to compete with building groups on pricing for materials, products and services,” Carl says. “CBS Co-Op has a combined purchasing power of $70m.”
Membership is simple and accessible, Carl says, with just a one-time fee of $1,000 required in order to join in New Zealand. Once a member signs up, they can enjoy the benefits straightaway, and most will find that they see an immediate return on that initial investment in their first few product or service purchases.
With thousands of New Zealand shareholder members already signed up and enjoying group-spending benefits at retailers including Bunnings, Placemakers, and Plumbing World, CBS now has its sights set on Australia. “A few of our members have crossed the ditch in the last few years, and we’ve been getting more and more requests to expand over there. That’s a key focus for us in 2026, and in just the last couple of weeks we’ve gone live with a new Brisbane location, which already has about a dozen members.”
CBS’s Australian members can access supplier discounts at Bunnings, Tradelink, Wattyl, and JB Hi-Fi, Carl says, and thanks to his strong ties to the Australian building industry, that merchant list is growing fast. “I have been heavily involved in the Australian market for about 20 years, with quite a big network of contacts that I developed while working in the group housing space in the early 2000s. I know from experience that tradies and professionals there are facing the same challenges as we are here; CBS can aggregate their spending power and provide access to better pricing and bigger projects. With our members’ buying power combined, we are already one of the largest buyers of building materials in NZ; we’ll soon become that in Australia as well.
“We have about a dozen staff now all working remotely, and when the time comes to have an Australian-based team, we’ll look to establish a physical presence there, first in Brisbane and then into other regions, most likely starting with Melbourne. I’d expect us to be exploring those options in early-mid 2027.”
The team’s expansion into Australia is part of a larger growth trajectory, Carl says, with new suppliers, members, and types of members being added all the time. “We’re primarily known to tradies, but we have an increasing number of designers and engineers as well. Many of them build their own homes and rental properties, and we’re seeing more and more of them join us in order to access the best pricing for those types of projects. One of the great benefits for those members is the discounted Teulo subscription offered to CBS members.
This enables them to get their CPD points from the convenience of their home or office in the most cost-effective way; their feedback has been that this is one of the best ways to navigate the CPD process. It’s an added benefit we’re happy to provide.”
Ultimately, the goal is just to keep growing what they know works, Carl says. “CBS doesn’t change much. The model is doing what it’s supposed to. It’s working in New Zealand and it’s spinning up now in Australia as well. We’re actively recruiting new members to continue growing our buying power and delivering great returns for them. And we’re always looking for new nationwide suppliers, but we do tend to be quite picky about those relationships, as we want to offer our members access to the best merchants and the best deals we possibly can.”
To learn more and join Combined Building Supplies Co-Operative, visit https://combinedbuildingsupplies.com/ and follow Carl on LinkedIn.
