CBA unity – beyond borders as well

It was more than 15 years ago that ten private retailers joined forces in order to be able to buy 17 stores which had originally belonged to the state owned. This is how CBA was born. Within a year, they realised how many possibilities there were in united policy making and joint purchasing. The expansion of CBA was helped by the fact that consumers appreciated CBA efforts as serving their interests. The philosophy of the 100 per cent domestically owned chain is “To live and let live”. The CBA chain is composed of 1,100 retail stores under the CBA logo, 2,000 affiliated retail stores and 45 wholesale outlets. Total revenues of the franchise network were over HUF 538 billion in 2006. CBA is run by management under the constant supervision of owners who continue to determine strategy and business policy. The basic concept behind business policy is that profit is not accumulated in the HQ, it remains in the stores. All franchise partners are subject to the same conditions and purchase prices. 22 regional wholesale centres supply partners and are also responsible for expansion at the local level.