Two developments landed in the same week, and they don’t line up neatly. Phoenix Lighting announced it is taking over select former Cree Lighting product lines. Meanwhile, EdisonReport is hearing that the company that bought Cree Lighting’s assets has gone silent.

Phoenix Lighting adds Cree product lines

On 17 September, Milwaukee-based Phoenix Lighting announced an agreement giving it exclusive rights to the intellectual property, manufacturing assets, and technology behind select former Cree Lighting product lines. The lines are RUL, OSQ Series, Guideway, OL Series, CPY250, CPY400, IG, KBL, CR, and KR. They will be sold under the Phoenix name but keep their existing product names.

Phoenix says it is taking control of manufacturing, distribution, and customer care. It also says the deal does not include legacy operations, liabilities, or ownership. Shipments are scheduled to begin in Q1 2027, with production ramping through the first half of the year. Phoenix expects to be ready for commercial discussions in mid-October.

The deal follows Phoenix’s May acquisition of Houston-based Rig-A-Lite. Phoenix is a portfolio company of JMC Capital Partners. CEO Rick Rosser called the deal “a defining moment for Phoenix.”

What reps are telling us

Yesterday morning, a Cree rep told EdisonReport that Beta LED has been quiet since June.  They also said a recent back-order inquiry was answered with word that Cree Lighting isn’t shipping anything until Beta LED gets its company set up. 

How we got here

Cree Lighting shut down operations in Racine, Wisconsin, in October 2025 with a furlough that was extended several times.  In February, the company announced a manufacturing agreement aimed at reducing its backlog, but it did not name the partner. Three months later, Beta LED acquired key operating assets, including inventory, equipment, and customer and supplier information, through an Article 9 sale. By late June, the company told reps and customers it had signed a non-binding Letter of Intent with an unnamed “strategic lighting partner,” with production expected to begin the following quarter. We assume that Phoenix is that unnamed partner.

Questions still open

• We still do not know who is behind the BetaLED company that purchased Cree Lighting assets in the Article 9 sale.  Is it private equity?  
• What will happen with Cree Lighting Canada?  We are told that Cree Lighting Canada was not included in the recent licensing agreement with Phoenix. 
• Phoenix is taking select lines. What happens to the rest of the Cree Lighting catalog, and to Beta LED’s own plans?
• Where do reps and customers with open orders stand until Q1 2027?

Developing…

Editor’s note: Cree Lighting is not related to Cree LED.