Shuffling accelerates! Another bankruptcy Acquisition in European Horticultural lighting

As the capital rush subsides, the reshuffling of the horticultural lighting sector continues.

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Following the bankruptcy declaration of Dutch horticultural lighting company Hortilux Schréder B.V. in September 2026, its brand name, intellectual property, and goodwill have recently been acquired by Prohort Lighting Solutions, the parent company of Gavita International, from the bankrupt estate.

This acquisition preserves Hortilux’s industry heritage. The Hortilux brand will merge operations with Prohort’s Agrolux brand, creating a powerful alliance between two established Dutch horticultural lighting names.

The two companies’ strengths are highly complementary:

Hortilux boasts deep roots in technological innovation and service, high recognition among growers, and extensive channel and market resources beyond Agrolux’s traditional core markets;

Agrolux offers a mature portfolio of horticultural lighting products, robust engineering capabilities, and a newly independent organizational structure, consistently focused on enhancing grower productivity and ensuring product reliability.

This acquisition will help Gavita International expand into new markets and distribution channels. Over the coming weeks, Gavita International will assess the integrated product portfolio and market coverage to determine how best to serve global grower customers going forward.

Image source: Hortilux

The acquiring party will not assume Hortilux Schréder’s pre-bankruptcy debts or contractual obligations, including existing commercial contracts and warranty claims, all of which remain subject to the original company’s bankruptcy liquidation process. This asset acquisition was completed via an agreement signed with the court-appointed bankruptcy administrator, with financial details undisclosed to the public.

Hortilux Schréder is a veteran player in the Dutch greenhouse cultivation and vertical farming lighting sectors. In 1999, it pioneered year-round supplemental lighting for greenhouse vegetables, gaining prominence early on with High-pressure sodium lamp (HPS) solutions paired with its self-developed smart light control system. Its customer base centered on commercial greenhouses and vertical farms across Northwestern Europe, earning strong word-of-mouth among growers.

In September 2026, Hortilux Schréder, along with several affiliated entities under its parent company Dool Industries, simultaneously declared bankruptcy.

Analysts attribute this to the downturn in the European horticultural lighting cycle: volatile energy costs forced greenhouse growers to drastically cut capital expenditures, while pressure from domestic competitors and cost-effective Asian products intensified. These factors exacerbated the company’s structural weaknesses—high customization costs, long payment cycles, and a regional customer concentration. Additionally, despite early adoption of LED technology and smart control systems, its small scale and limited production capacity prevented it from pursuing standardized mass production. Coupled with overall group liquidity strain and insufficient independent reserves, the company ultimately faced a broken cash flow.

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Furthermore, recent reports indicate that U.S. vertical farming company FarmBox Foods has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, entering liquidation proceedings. The voluntary bankruptcy petition was submitted to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado on October 19, 2026.

The filing classifies the case as “assetless bankruptcy,” indicating no assets are currently expected to be available for distribution to unsecured creditors. According to preliminary filings, the company had 36 creditors.

Founded in 2017, FarmBox Foods developed controlled-environment growing systems housed in shipping containers. Its product lineup includes hydroponic systems for leafy greens and other crops, as well as specialized containers for gourmet mushroom production and hydroponic feed.

Moreover, since the beginning of this year, numerous vertical farming and horticultural lighting companies have ceased operations or filed for bankruptcy, such as U.S. firm 80 Acres Farms and Sweden’s Heliospectra AB. Some enterprises have survived through acquisitions—for example, U.S.-based AeroFarms was recently acquired by family investment firm Palm Ventures.

Image source: AeroFarms