Speaking to TTG at the Elite Conference for Independents in Cadiz, Advantage head of business development David Moon said the smaller consortium does benefit from its relationship with its big partner.

But he added it is currently proving effective as a distinct entity with no plans on board to change the status quo.

Moon said: “Commercially it makes sense in the terms of the Advantage and Elite partnership but Elite members want to be part of their own consortium and we understand that.

“In a sense they have the best of both worlds with big buying power and their own identity.”

He added an example of this is every Elite member can add up to 1.25% on their bottom line as a result of the relationship with Advantage.

Commercial terms are also fairly far-reaching, with 80% of negotiated deals set to last for two years or more.

Moon added Elite members are also able to access a number of marketing deals as a result of the arrangement, which should help them retain old customers and bring in new ones.

Earlier during the conference Elite chief executive Neil Basnett maintained that Elite would retain its independence as long as that was what members wanted.

He said: “We still run ourselves as a separate business, we maintain our separate identity and we have our own head office.”