Since its inception in 1963, the company has evolved into a £400 million organisation, with almost 700 members and more than 1,500 retail outlets UK wide. The Euronics new retail strategy leads the upgrading to a specific design and layout of between 50 and 100 shops in 2008. CIH chairman Robin Millwood commented on its progress: "The fantastic news is that all of those shops so far completed are reporting a minimum of 35% increase in turnover."

"The key strengths of this organisation lie in the power of centralised buying and marketing, with its heart being its custom-built warehousing and distribution centre in Andover, with a second delivery facility situated in Wakefield, West Yorkshire," said Stuart Cook, CIH chief executive.

CIH employs a professional buying team for both brown and white goods, negotiating preferred trading terms on behalf of all the members. In addition to this, CIH offers comprehensive account management with dedicated credit control teams and credit facilities to its members.

In early January, retra and CIH announced the beginning of a closer cooperation between the two organisations. They plan to consult each other on a broad range of issues, including government legislation, problems with service and spares, and the involvement of independents in product launches and associated marketing opportunities.

Bryan Lovewell, chief executive for retra, said: "retra and CIH have a common aim but different areas of expertise.  By combining our strengths we can help ensure a complete package of support is available to the independent channel."

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