EET Nordic lays eyes on SafeVision targets

Denmark-based distributor hunts for acquisitions to help launch IP surveillance venture in the UK

Simon Smith: The CCTV market is very old school and resellers fear the move to IP

Pan-European distributor EET Nordic is circling targets in the IP CCTV space as it prepares to launch its Safe­Vision brand in the UK.

SafeVision, which works with vendors such as Pana­sonic, Axis and Sony, currently generates about seven per cent of EET’s group sales.

Simon Smith, managing director of EET UK, said bringing the brand to the UK was a natural step as 95 per cent of the UK surveillance market is still analogue.

“The CCTV market is very old school and resellers fear the move to IP, but it is coming,” he said. “The UK has the highest proportion of cameras in Europe per capita, so it is a huge market.”

Smith said Denmark-based EET is “looking at one or two companies” and is talking to local staff that could help launch the venture.

Although Smith admitted the market is dominated by heavyweights Norbain, ADI, and Anixter, he claimed that the IP side of the market is wide open.

“We see the opportunity of getting out in front of analogue resellers and teaching them all about IP,” he said.