CVP is expanding in Europe

CVP has expanded its operations in Europe, making it easier to serve the mainland EU market.

CVP is one of the best known and respected video equipment dealers in the UK, and it has been in existence for over 35 years. I fondly remember CVP's co-founder, former cameraman Phil Baxter, a memorable character if ever there was one! Sadly Phil passed away in 2013, and his wife and co-founder, Alison, sold the company to new owners in 2017. However, the company has continued to go from strength to strength since then, and now it is expanding its reach. 

CVP originally set up operations in Belgium in 2021 and has been expanding and increasing its operations there and in the Netherlands ever since. In a press release CVP stated that the 650sqm Belgium facility "... not only enables the company to tackle the challenge of availability with its large local stock holding across both the UK and Belgium, but also improves delivery times and access to knowledgeable technical sales and support advisors."

The word that shall not be spoken

This is, of course, great news for customers and for CVP itself, although it is difficult to cover the announcement without the spectre of Brexit speculatively rearing its head. Although the PR makes only the barest of hints, it's no secret that the B word has made doing business with EU countries for UK based companies much more difficult, and in some cases absolutely impossible. This isn't a statement on politics, just a statement of fact, so I have no doubt that it played some part in the move even if it isn't stated outright.

The facility also features an engineering department, which is dedicated to restoring and repairing equipment as a manufacturer authorised repair centre, as well as stocking a large quantity of spare parts, so it is well placed for solid after sales support, too.

To help with the expansion, CVP has brought on board two highly experienced people in the form of Benoit Foucault and Niels Lubbers into senior sales roles for Belgium and the Netherlands. Foucault has over 20 years of media industry experience, including working as Sales and Rental Manager of the Video Department and Broadcast at TV Connections, while Lubbers built and grew CameraTools.nl over 14 years before moving to ColourTools, and then finally CVP.

The European market is a significant one for a company like CVP, and moves like this will mean that it can continue trading within the Euro zone with minimal disruption. Further expansions are planned, including a new demo facility in Belgium, planned to open this summer, that will run events, workshops, and bespoke testing, very much mirroring the capabilities of CVP London.