BSH has announced that it is leaving one of the biggest and most established independent retail buying groups after negotiations broke down over new trading terms.
CIH, the buying group behind Euronics, revealed the news ahead of its annual ‘Showcase’ trade show for members, held at the NEC on Sunday and Monday of this week.
Visitors to the show couldn’t miss the large empty space where the BSH stand was meant to be – a conspicuous sign that negotiations had continued up to just days before the doors opened.
BSH says that the existing deal will end on April 28 and it will no longer supply products to CIH under the current framework. Retailers will need to make direct agreements with the company if they want to keep selling the brands.
It also confirmed that it will honour all consumer warranty and service obligations for products already supplied via CIH.
Dealers were sent separate letters on Friday from both CIH and BSH confirming that negotiations had failed to reach an agreement, but CIH firmly laying the blame at BSH’s door.
“We want to be clear that this was a decision taken by BSH,” the letter from CIH says. “At no point has it been CIH’s position to seek their withdrawal from the group. Our focus throughout has been on reaching a mutually beneficial agreement that supports both parties and, most importantly, delivers value to our members.”
The organisation said it had been negotiating with BSH since October 2025, believing that “a positive conclusion” could be reached. However, it also confirms that it has been actively planning for all eventualities, including the possibility of BSH choosing to leave.
“While progress had been made during discussions, it became clear that BSH’s proposed direction – including changes to commercial terms and approach to membership structures – was not aligned with the core principles of CIH as a mutual buying group. A fundamental principle of CIH is that all members should have access to the same terms based on equivalent levels of commitment. This principle underpins the strength, fairness, and long-term value of the group, and it is not something we are prepared to compromise.
“We are naturally disappointed with this outcome; however, our priority remains to protect the interests of the membership as a whole. CIH is in a strong position and we will now be working closely with our existing supplier partners to mitigate any impact and ensure continuity.”
The BSH letter to CIH dealers, from channel director Shaun English, confirms that they hadn’t been able to agree new commercial terms and that the deal will end on April 28.
“Furthermore, based on this outcome, we have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from CIH Showcase this weekend,” it says. “We remain committed to continuing our long standing support for the independent retailer and any future supply arrangements would be subject to separate direct agreement.”
BSH says it will issue a further update on April 29.
The appliance giant is still without a UK CEO after Gunjan Srivastava announced in November that he’d be leaving the company in January.
