The relationships between commercial chains and producers and suppliers, as well as CSR initiatives that make the tools strengthening these relationships are the object of authors' interest in this paper. Transformations that have taken place in trade for the last 20 years in Poland and for the last 40 years in Europe let us state that it is the sector that at present is characterised by asymmetry of the power of relationships in the channel of distribution. For the purpose of explaining CSR significance in formation of the relationships, models of relationships in the channels of distribution are presented in the paper, asymmetry of relationships in trade and its source are indicated, and the role of CSR in change of relationships in the channel of distribution is defined. Work is funded by the NCN grant based on the decision number DEC-2011/03/B/HS4/03576.