CIH is celebrating its 60th anniversary and to mark the occasion it has refreshed its brand identity to reflect the evolving world of electrical retailing.
The electrical buying group, part of Euronics, originally formed from a need to support local independent retailers and allow them to compete with the fast developing buying power of multiple retailers. The first meeting of CIH Ltd was held in May 1963, when the ‘Memorandum of Association’ was signed, and the Certificate of Incorporation was issued.
CIH is now supported by 11 groups looking after the interests of 453 Members with 642 stores across the country, and in 1996 the group adopted the Euronics brand.
Membership of the group has grown rapidly over the years. More than 127 agents have been part of the group for over 25 years; there are also a number of members who have been trading for nearly a century. The oldest store is Hatcher & Sons Ltd, which can trace its origins back to 1775 as a drapery store.
“60 years is a huge milestone,” said Paul Tyler, CEO of CIH. “CIH has gone from strength to strength over the last six decades, providing invaluable support to its members and agents, ensuring they can compete with the multi-nationals.
“Euronics is a name people recognise and allows our members to use that brand equity as well as their own family heritage and reputation within their communities to attract customers. They can be efficient and competitive but stay true to their core values. Members and Agents are exceptional at what they do, and we are here to support them with central distribution of products as well as all of the back office and marketing support.”
CIH Chairman, Steve Scogings, added: “Our agents are family businesses based in the local community and that is our power. Stores have unrivalled knowledge about the products they sell and are hugely successful. This year is about recognising their success as well as CIH’s and we will be holding a member conference in Dubrovnik this September to ensure we all come together and celebrate.
“We have also taken the anniversary as a moment to refresh our corporate identity to ensure we stay relevant here are now as well as in the future.”
Mr Scogings said the future is looking bright. The new Euronics marketplace e-commerce platform is “a powerful tool” to extend the reach and connect with more customers, he said. Plus, thanks to the postcode feature, customers will always see offers from their closest store first.
“It’s all about making the customer journey as easy as possible and ensure convenience is at the heart of what we achieve together,” Mr Scogings added.
Mr Tyler concluded: “I firmly believe that all independent retailers should be part of a buying group. Having central support is a vital way of staying competitive and ensuring independent retailers remain on our high streets.
“By working together, we become stronger and this is why our annual Showcase event this month is going to be a fantastic opportunity for our agents to speak directly to members of the CIH team as well as our supplier brands.”
