AP Diving announced on 22 July 2021, via social media, that it is to open a European warehouse.
The British scuba equipment manufacturer has suffered a number of business frustrations following Brexit, and the UK's withdrawal from the European Union on 31 January 2020.
Martin Parker and the team at APD have therefore established AP Diving Europe. This will enable EU customers to purchase products in Euros. The goods will then be delivered by post or carrier direct from mainland Europe. This will mean EU customers will avoid import hassles, paperwork, VAT and customs handling fees.
This will enable EU customers to be able to purchase products without incurring disproportionally high customs charges. Martin Parker, APD Europe
The new European base is located in Voorschoten, Netherlands and will start operations on Monday 2nd August 2021.
To begin with, AP Diving Europe will be a simple parcel distribution hub that sends and receives parcels to and from customers located in the EU. Martin Parker has advised that Sofnolime will also be despatched from the Netherlands.
The news has been warmly greeted by the diving community. Dominique Giraud remarked on social media "This is really great news. Thank you for considering customer feedback and reacting quickly".
This is really great news. Thank you for considering customer feedback and reacting quickly. Dominique Giraud
Servicing
Items that require servicing will be initially assessed in the Netherlands. The long-term plan is for a product service centre to be set at APD Europe. In the meantime, APD has requested that customers that require servicing to contact the team in the UK.
Future Plans
We have been advised that a new webshop—apdiving.eu—is currently under construction. It is thought that it will allow EU customers to benefit from automated ordering.
