Following the introduction of a new membership agreement, CIH has opened its doors to new members from within the independent electrical retail trade. Currently with around 700 members and approximately 1,500 stores, the buying and marketing group, is part of Euronics, Europe’s biggest buying group.
Founded in 1990, Euronics employs more than 42,000 people and operates throughout 5,500 retail outlets in 27 countries throughout Europe and Australia.
Announcing the initiative at the recent CIH Overseas Conference in Barcelona, CIH chief executive Stuart Cook said: “We are extremely pleased to be in a position to open our doors to new applications. It has been some time since we invited independent electrical retailers to join the group but we are now sure that with our new membership agreement having rolled out to existing members we are in a strong position to offer our members, both existing and new, some fantastic opportunities.”
For the independent electrical retailers the key benefit of CIH membership is the group’s power of centralised purchasing and marketing. Its members can participate in CIH advertising campaigns both locally and nationally.
The level of service provided to its members is very comprehensive: “Our centralised warehouses and national distribution networks mean speedy responses to all of our members needs. This is combined with a dedicated membership, sales and service team which offers a comprehensive support role to all CIH members, including order verification, stock availability/confirmation, delivery information, customer service, support manufacturer/consumer issues, returns procedures and processes,“ explained Stuart Cook. The group’s financial support includes centralised billing, a dedicated credit control team and credit facilities.
The CIH membership information is available from Catrina Hide on 01264 320500.
