The duo will be working together to highlight some of the biggest challenges facing merchants today, particularly around credit risk, fraud risk and insolvency risk when onboarding new customers.
Builders’ Merchants News is delighted to announce today (Thursday 19 March) a new partnership with Red Flag Alert, bringing together industry insight and financial risk intelligence to support the builders’ merchant sector.
For nearly 50 years, BMN has been one of the most respected voices in the building materials industry, providing news, advice and guidance to merchants across the UK construction supply chain.
Red Flag Alert, meanwhile, has a platform that provides real time business intelligence and financial risk insights that help companies make better decisions, identify opportunities and protect themselves from bad debt and fraud. Its technology enables businesses to assess customer financial health, automate due diligence and monitor risk across their entire customer base.
Through this partnership, BMN and Red Flag Alert will be working together to highlight some of the biggest challenges facing merchants today, particularly around credit risk, fraud risk and insolvency risk when onboarding new customers.
In today’s volatile market, many merchants are being asked to balance growth with risk management. Whether onboarding limited companies or non-limited businesses such as sole traders, the process can often rely on incomplete information or manual checks.
This partnership aims to close that knowledge gap by providing practical insight, education and guidance to help merchants understand the risks associated with new customer onboarding, spot early warning signs of financial distress or potential fraud, improve credit decisioning and protect against bad debt, and ultimately grow safely and confidently in a challenging economic climate.
Lucyanne Matthews, Associate Publisher, said: "At Builders’ Merchants News, our mission has always been to support merchants with the insight and clarity they need to operate confidently in a complex and fast-changing market.
“Partnering with Red Flag Alert allows us to bring even greater depth to that mission. By combining our industry knowledge with Red Flag Alert’s market-leading risk intelligence, we can equip merchants with the tools, data and foresight they need to protect their businesses, make smarter decisions and thrive in today’s economic landscape."
Marc Bishop, Head of Construction at Red Flag Alert, said: "Builders’ merchants operate in an incredibly fast moving and often volatile market, where extending credit is essential to winning and retaining customers. However, that also creates exposure to fraud, insolvency and bad debt.
"Through our partnership with BMN, we want to help close the knowledge gap around customer onboarding and risk management, providing merchants with the insight and tools they need to grow their businesses safely and confidently."
Together BMN and Red Flag Alert will be sharing expert insights, industry commentary and practical advice designed to help merchants strengthen their risk processes while continuing to win new business.
Ultimately, this partnership is about empowering merchants with the knowledge and tools to grow safely, ensuring that stronger risk intelligence becomes a competitive advantage across the sector.
