At LightFair 2021, the CEO of GE Current, a Daintree company, Manish Bhandari, sat down for a video interview and explained his rational for wanting to acquire the C&I Lighting business of Hubbell. In the video he also explained that Current and the Hubbell C&I Lighting business will maintain separate agency networks with dedicated resources and distinct brands.
Today the deal has closed, and the combined company will be known as Current. A spokesperson confirmed to the EdisonReport that nothing has changed, and they will maintain separate rep networks.
Why it Matters:
Many times on these types of acquisitions, the acquiring company will roll everything into one network and there is a nationwide scramble from the losing reps to pick up a replacement line. Legrand is an exception as they usually keep the acquired businesses separate. Also, when Signify acquired Cooper Lighting from Eaton, they announced they would keep their network separate—and even through a global pandemic, Signify and Cooper still have separate networks. During my initial interview with Manish, he cited the Signify-Cooper model.
Read the full press release here.