August 22, 2022
Liteline Acquires the Contrast Lighting Brand
Canadian company resuscitates Contrast Lighting and aims to expand product offerings
Toronto-based Liteline today announced the acquisition of another Canadian lighting brand, Contrast Lighting (a.k.a. Éclairage Contraste in its French-speaking home of Quebec.)
Liteline is best known for manufacturing indoor lighting products for architectural and commercial spaces. Contrast Lighting is best known for making architectural downlights and housings.
In late 2021, Contrast Lighting reported having financial troubles resulting from COVID challenges and a cyberattack. In February, inside.lighting was the only electrical industry publication that reported on Contrast Lighting’s filing for bankruptcy protection with the Canadian Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy. At the time, records indicated that the company had debts that exceeded $6 million (CAD), but updated June records show total liabilities of $9,485,718 (CAD) and total assets of $206,542 (CAD).
In March, many assets of Contrast Lighting were sold in an auction at its Quebec facility.
We asked our Liteline contact for specific details related to the transactional nature of the Contrast Lighting acquisition. No further details were provided. Since Contrast Lighting has been undergoing bankruptcy proceedings and has significant debt, it appears that Liteline acquired certain brand and product assets only, and not the corporate entity. The contrastlighting.com website is not currently operational, and the domain is registered to Contrast Lighting through 2025.
Liteline’s announcement stated that Contrast Lighting “will be merged with Liteline and provide the opportunity to expand our product offering in Canada and the United States.”
