December 29, 2025
The Top Lighting Acquisitions of 2025
Strategic deals reshape competitive dynamics in commercial lighting and controls
From boutique fixture brands to billion-dollar control system giants, 2025 was a year of aggressive consolidation across the commercial and architectural lighting industry. Some moves were defensive, designed to shore up domestic manufacturing capabilities as tariff threats loomed. Others were offensive — bold expansions into adjacent verticals. But nearly all reflected the same underlying current: scale is no longer a luxury in this industry; it’s a lifeline.
Strategic imperatives ranged from leveraging a U.S. presence to product portfolio diversification and digital integration. In total, Inside Lighting reported on over twenty acquisitions this year — a sweeping indicator that the industry's long-suspected shakeout is not only real but accelerating.
Beyond “What Happened”
It’s one thing to know an acquisition happened. It’s another to understand why it happened, what it signals about the broader market, and who’s really behind the scenes. Most corporate press releases that announce deals are strategically vague by design — selectively sharing only what PR teams want the world to see.
That’s where Inside Lighting brings unmatched clarity to lighting people throughout the year.
Our readers weren’t just fed press releases rinsed through ChatGPT; they got hard numbers, human stories, historical context, and strategic insight — all in one place. No other lighting trade publication offered the depth, detail, or diligence we brought to this year’s M&A coverage.
Here are just a few examples of what only Inside Lighting reported:
- The tangled history of M3 Innovation: a founder with a prior Cooper Lighting exit, a near-exclusive deal with Hubbell Lighting that fell apart, and an eventual acquisition by Acuity
- The purchase price of the Lumileds acquisition, a flashpoint that most outlets ignored.
- The seller of Sonneman and the brand’s return to its founding leadership circle.
- The financial details of Orluna, the company that Lutron acquired...plus Lutron's hyper-targeted acquisition history
- Picasso Lighting’s headcount and ownership history, contextualizing its role in Axis Lighting’s U.S. strategy.
- The carve-out details of the Topaz sale to Halco, including Southwire’s short 4-year hold, the product categories it sold and what it chose to keep.
- The fact that we were the only outlet to cover the Griven and Fusion Optix acquisitions.
- And that’s just the exclusive stuff.
Our team also delivered:
- Contextual analysis tying deals to market trends like tariffs, rep realignments, and manufacturing shifts.
- Data-backed insights into deal financing, market strategy, and product overlap.
- Carefully sourced information — often confirmed by company insiders — before other media caught wind.
Plus: dozens of sharp, timely observations and storylines you simply couldn’t find anywhere else.
Acuity Finalizes $1.2 Billion QSC Deal »
Acuity Brands closed its acquisition of QSC, a cloud-managed audio, video, and control platform provider with $535 million in annual revenues. The deal, announced in late 2024, was financed through cash reserves and a $600 million term loan from JPMorgan Chase. QSC now comprises roughly two-thirds of Acuity's Intelligent Spaces division, which also includes Distech Controls and Atrius. CEO Neil Ashe described the company as being "basically a data and controls company with a luminaire business."
Acuity Acquires Sports Lighting Company, M3 Innovation »
Acuity acquired M3 Innovation, a sports lighting company founded by Joe Casper who previously sold Ephesus Lighting to Cooper Lighting in 2015. M3's modular MAKO lighting platform was integrated into Acuity's Holophane and Lithonia Lighting brands. The deal marks the end of M3's independent operation following a $50+ million lawsuit against Hubbell Lighting that was settled in 2022. The acquisition targets schools, municipalities, and small stadiums with retrofittable, high-output sports lighting systems.
Cooper Lighting Acquires Nemalux »
Cooper Lighting (owned by Signify) acquired Calgary-based Nemalux, a 20-year-old manufacturer specializing in hazardous location LED lighting for oil and gas, chemical processing, marine, and mining. Nemalux will maintain its Canadian manufacturing base — giving Cooper its first manufacturing footprint in Canada. The acquisition complements Cooper's existing Fail-Safe brand for high-abuse environments.
Kuzco Lighting Acquires Insight Lighting »
Kuzco Lighting acquired New Mexico-based Insight Lighting, a manufacturer specializing in high-performance architectural lighting with nearly 30 years in the industry. This follows Kuzco's 2024 acquisition of Auroralight, continuing a strategy to diversify beyond decorative fixtures. Insight Lighting has over 20 product families serving complex lighting applications including coves, walls, and facades. The acquisition reflects Kuzco's commitment to investing in U.S. manufacturing capabilities.
Lutron Acquires Orluna, Expands Fixture Portfolio »
Lutron Electronics acquired Orluna, a UK-based fixture maker specializing in architectural-grade downlights and accent fixtures for luxury residential and boutique hospitality markets. This marks the worldwide leader’s first acquisition outside the United States, signaling intent to deepen its international footprint. Orluna is a small company with under 50 employees and under £10.2 million in revenues. The acquisition follows Lutron's pattern of selective acquisitions complementing its lighting controls business (Ketra 2018, Limelight 2019).
San'an and Inari to Acquire Lumileds in $239M Deal »
China's largest LED chipmaker San'an Optoelectronics and Malaysia's Inari Amertron announced a joint $239 million acquisition of Lumileds Holding B.V. and its European/Asian subsidiaries. This follows Lumileds' 2022 prepackaged bankruptcy that shed $1.7 billion in debt. The deal has geopolitical significance — a 2016 Chinese bid to acquire Lumileds was blocked by CFIUS over national security concerns. The joint-venture structure between Chinese and Malaysian entities may help this deal proceed.
Halco Acquires Topaz Lighting from Southwire »
Georgia-based Halco Lighting Technologies acquired the permanent lighting portfolio of Topaz Lighting from Southwire Company, which had owned Topaz for only four years. The deal closed December 18, 2025, with Southwire retaining Topaz's components and temporary lighting segments. The Topaz portfolio includes commercial mainstays like troffers, high bays, wall packs, exit and emergency lighting, retrofit trims, and vapor tights, along with general-purpose LED lamps and HID replacements.
Halco previously spun off its specialty pool and landscape lighting business in 2022, making this acquisition a consolidation play focused on the commercial and light industrial sectors where both companies already served overlapping distributor and rep networks.
Axis Lighting Expands Footprint With Picasso Acquisition »
Quebec-based Axis Lighting acquired Picasso Lighting Industries, an architectural lighting manufacturer based in Moonachie, New Jersey with 13 employees. Founded in 2007, Picasso carved a niche designing fixtures for New York City's demanding building codes. The acquisition provides Axis with U.S.-based manufacturing capability to navigate Buy American requirements and potential future tariff volatility, planting a strategic flag south of the Canadian border.
Hudson Valley Lighting Group Acquires Sonneman »
Hudson Valley Lighting Group acquired Sonneman, reuniting with a brand that HVLG founder David Littman once helped lead. This ends Sonneman's seven-year ownership by Dunes Point Capital. Founded in 2003 by designer Robert Sonneman, the brand is known for clean-lined architectural fixtures and system-based LED solutions. Sonneman adds to HVLG's lineup that includes Hudson Valley Lighting, CSL, Corbett, Troy, and Mitzi.
Griven Acquired by Former Exec Luca Meinardi »
Italian architectural façade lighting manufacturer Griven was acquired by former Experience Brands executive Luca Meinardi through his new firm, Noiabr SRL. The deal attracted over 100 initial inquiries before Meinardi was selected as the buyer. Experience Brands CEO Chris Stockton emphasized North American continuity, confirming all existing rep agreements remain in place. This follows Experience Brands' pattern of divesting European operations while maintaining U.S. market presence after their 2023 sale of Hess GmbH.
Fusion Optix Acquires Three LED Brands »
Massachusetts-based Fusion Optix acquired Vermont-based LEDdynamics, bringing five distinct brands under one ownership: Fusion Optix, XICO Lighting, LEDdynamics, Prolume (fixture maker), and LEDSupply (e-commerce platform). The acquisition emphasizes domestic manufacturing capacity amid rising tariffs that could exceed 145% on imported LED components from China. Both companies operate New England manufacturing facilities, providing strategic advantage during global supply chain uncertainty.
Evluma and LED Roadway Lighting Ltd. Join Forces »
Washington-based Evluma and Nova Scotia-based LED Roadway Lighting Ltd. joined forces to combine their products, technology solutions, and engineering expertise in outdoor LED lighting. Both companies will continue operating as distinct brands under combined leadership led by LED Roadway's Co-CEOs Dave Scott and Ken Cartmill. LED Roadway brings 18+ years of experience in smart street lighting solutions deployed in 65+ countries, while Evluma specializes in utility-grade street lighting since 2008.
Inside Lighting's 2025 coverage documented numerous acquisition announcements reflecting an industry undergoing continued structural change. The coverage suggests an industry where independent survival is increasingly challenging, and scale — whether through M&A or strategic partnerships — has become essential for competitive positioning.
