Today Gordons is a leading audio visual hire company with an ambition to be the best in the UK. Despite our energy and drive, we're not a young company, and we're proud of our heritage as one of the world's oldest AV firms.

Gordon Audio Visual Ltd was incorporated in 1960 by Harry Gordon, helped by the entrepreneur Alistair Hurlstone, better known as Hurley. Following Harry Gordon's death in 1965, Hurley's investment vehicle Gresham Management & Investment Company took control, and the business changed from operating being a photographic retailer in West London. We moved to Oxford Circus to focus on the import and distribution of traditional audio visual products to the AV industry through a network of dealers. In addition, a small hire division developed alongside this distribution business to service the London area with presentation equipment for hire. In 1981, three years after Hurley died, we moved to a Gresham property in Camden Town.

Gordons was purchased by Phenomenon Group in 2001 and the hire business was invested in heavily and has since grown to become the largest source of revenue for the Group. Meanwhile the focus on distribution has changed to emphasise growth products, in particular the eBeam range of portable interactive systems.

An office was opened in Sheffield in 2005 to offer an improved hire service in Sheffield, Manchester and throughout the north of England, as well as to provide warehousing and logistics for the distribution stock. The Group acquired Gray Audio Visual in 2006, extending its range of products and services to include large event hire, filming and production. Continuing growth in the media services sector, HVS Media (formerly Humphries Video Services) was acquired in 2007 and further investment has led to the design and build of modern facilities to include edit suites and a recording studio. This is sited on the top floor of “The Old Torpedo Factory”, our London Headquarters, which the Group acquired in March 2008.

The Group has 30 shareholders, with the chairman, the three executive directors, and current and former employees owning 95% of the shares between them.