Specialist Computer Holdings (SCH) boss Sir Peter Rigby has put his eldest son James in charge of the British business, fueling speculation that he is being lined up for the top job when his dad retires.

The UK arm turns over €1.3bn and employs 3,000 people, according to the FT. James Rigby told the paper that part of his task is to raise the profile of SCH in the UK.

SCH was started by Sir Peter and is still privately-held by the Rigby family. It has been a very successful traditional reseller with a turnover of €3bn. Rigby also started and sold Byte - the chain of computer stores. The company has acquired companies across Europe and bought into the services market.

The changes make it likely that SCH will remain independent rather than floating or being bought by a private equity group.

More details from the the FT here (registration required). ®