ARRI Group exploring sale options

According to a report from Bloomberg, the ARRI Group is exploring sale options. I can’t independently verify this claim, and Bloomberg’s article states that they are exploring options that could include a full or partial sale of the business, according to people familiar with the matter.

The company’s owners and management have been allegedly holding preliminary discussions with potential advisers about the possibility of a sale, which could involve selling either a majority or minority stake.

Sources go on to say that ARRI has also been working with consultancy AlixPartners to streamline its operations.

I have reached out to ARRI for comment.

UPDATE: Arri gave me this statement:

As a matter of long-standing policy, ARRI does not comment on market speculation or rumors. Like others in the industry, ARRI is currently undergoing a transformation process in which we are structurally adapting to the lasting changes in the demands of our market. In doing so, we are building on our technological expertise, our strong brand, and our long-standing commitment to our customers and partners. As we are in the midst of this transformational phase, please understand that we do not wish to comment further on this matter publicly.

In May, ARRI signed an agreement to sell its subsidiary, Claypaky, to
EK Inc., a prominent player in the entertainment lighting industry. The transaction is expected to close in the coming months, subject to customary regulatory approvals.

At that time, ARRI stated that they wanted to focus more strongly on its core business, and that is the reason they stated for that decision.

Claypaky is a world-renowned brand recognized globally as the provider of choice in the high-end professional entertainment lighting market, and it was purchased by ARRI back in late 2022.

Times have certainly been tough for a lot of companies in our industry, and it will be interesting to see where ARRI goes from here. This news comes less than a week after the announcement of the ALEXA 35 Xtreme.

ARRI celebrated its 100th birthday back in September 2017, and the company has been instrumental in shaping the film industry. In 1917, two teenagers, August Arnold and Robert Richter, founded a film technology firm in Munich, Germany. From those humble beginnings, ARRI grew into a global company and one of the most trusted and respected names in the film industry.

Above, you can watch a video with ARRI Group Managing Directors and Executive Board members Jörg Pohlman and Franz Kraus looking back at ARRI’s early history, its transition from analog to digital.

It all started when August and Robert rented a small shoemaker’s store in Munich. Fast forward more than 100 years, and the ARRI headquarters are still on the exact same street in Munich, although now they take up an entire block and not just one small shop.

Although the friends were first and foremost film enthusiasts, driven by a love for visual storytelling and technology, they started with just one product, a copying machine they built on a lathe Richter had received as a Christmas present from his parents. The name ARRI actually comes from the first two letters of August and Robert’s surnames.

August and Robert were camera operators, film producers, and an equipment rental outfit long before they ever manufactured an ARRI camera. They listened to filmmakers, and this insight led them to develop products that were what the end user actually wanted. This same philosophy is still used by ARRI today.