SCC adds more AV muscle with Visavvi buy

Acquisitions can often be a barometer of which products and skills the channel views as necessary to foster further growth.

Clearly the audio visual (AV) market is one that is on the rise, given the move by SCC to acquire Visavvi, with the market having emerged from the pandemic with an increased appetite for collaboration tools.

SCC has moved to pick up AV player Visavvi to add more muscle to its own AVS operation and to gain added depth to a portfolio of comms and collaboration tools that is resonating with those looking tor hybrid working options.

The plan its to run the company as “Visavvi, an SCC business”, with the management team staying on board. Andy Dyson will remain managing director of Visavvi, with directors Colin Etchells and Ann Pickard. They will be joined by Graham Fry, managing director of SCC and Mark Nutter, CFO of SCC, with Steve Rigby, co-chief executive of Rigby Group, SCC’s parent company, as board chairman.

Dyson said that there were ambitions to make a significant impact in the market under the new ownership.

"SCC and Visavvi will embark on a three-year plan to restore Visavvi to the top of the AV market and achieve £80m turnover,” he said. “This bold progression sees our highly skilled AV professionals integrate with the SCC team to deepen its sector specialisms in the commercial and public sectors, including education, where SCC has just been appointed an inaugural panel member on the enFrame ICT framework and will deliver solutions to UK multi-academy trusts for the first time.”

Fry said the deal would bulk out SCC’s own activities in the audio visual space: “This acquisition is a milestone moment for SCC AVS, with organic growth fuelled by customers on a transformation journey requiring digital workplace solutions that enable anytime, anywhere collaboration in real time. Visavvi enables SCC AVS to focus on accelerating its growth strategy by adding scale, capability, and a wider geographical reach in the UK to deliver outstanding AV services to customers.

“We have extensive technology expertise and proven people skills, building strong and trusted relationships with our clients across the corporate, education, healthcare, public and government sectors.”

James Rigby, chief executive of SCC, has consistently said in the firm’s financial updates that it would use acquisition as a means of strengthening key divisions.

“It was important to acquire a business that complements our own, both in terms of capability and culture,” he said. “Visavvi strengthens our capability in education, with its leading specialism in large-space AV. Meanwhile, existing Visavvi customers will benefit from SCC’s expertise in voice and collaboration, supporting the shift to the digital workplace.”