Leviton Moves into LED Lighting, Expands in Europe with JCC Advanced Acquisition

Leviton Manufacturing, Melville, N.Y., is acquiring JCC Advanced Lighting, a UK-based manufacturer of LED lighting. Details of the deal were not disclosed. JCC has been owned for the past five years by UK-based private equity firm LDC, which specializes in mid-market businesses.

Leviton is a ubiquitous brand in lighting controls as well as medium- and low-voltage wiring devices. Beyond controls, though, Leviton’s lighting offering has been confined to a line of fixtures for the entertainment industry and a handful of utilitarian GU24 CFL lamp holders, until now. The addition of JCC Advanced Lighting gives Leviton a way to extend its brand into the fast-growing LED lighting market across many customer sectors, in the UK and possibly beyond.

JCC makes lighting for homes, offices, industrial and retail applications, working from headquarters on England’s south coast. It concentrates on the UK market, but in its release announcing the deal, Leviton framed the acquisition as opening international growth opportunities.

“Leviton’s acquisition of JCC provides a significant presence in the UK and a good base for the future,” said Don Hendler, CEO of Leviton. “Since our beginnings more than a century ago, Leviton has built a reputation on innovation and product development, so adding a market-leading advanced lighting solutions business like JCC makes strategic sense for our global expansion.”

JCC will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Leviton, maintaining operations in the UK. The company will continue to be led by Richard Adey, currently the executive chairman of JCC, who will report directly to Daryoush Larizadeh, Leviton’s COO.

“JCC is delighted to be part of Leviton, given its renowned expertise and global reach in controls technology, which will drive JCC’s further expansion both in the UK and overseas,” Adey said. “Leviton’s input will help further enhance our LED product innovation and development, which is fundamental to our business strategy.”

JCC’s website says the company sells through UK wholesalers from a major warehouse facility and has a dedicated design facility, the JCC Innovation Centre, which has close ties to local universities. Since the 2008 acquisition by LDC, JCC has turned its focus to product development and testing and a marketing strategy that emphasizes merchandising and major project activity.

“Increasingly the JCC lighting range focuses on energy efficient LED lighting and includes LED flat panels for offices and schools, fire-rated downlights for homes and hotels and LED spotlights for retail and display,” the JCC site said.

In 2011, Leviton purchased Quantran Systems Ltd., a lighting control and architectural dimming products manufacturer based in Watford, UK.