British brightness, American reach
Visual Comfort buys Pooky Lighting
Pooky was never a brand built on British restraint. Colourful lampshades, decorative lamps, pattern, pace and plenty of online fluency: more domestic wit than quiet premium lighting. That mix now belongs to Visual Comfort & Co.
The US lighting company has acquired the British brand founded in 2014. Financial terms were not disclosed. Pooky is expected to remain independent, with no immediate changes planned for customers, partners or day-to-day operations.
For Visual Comfort, the deal is still more than another name in the portfolio. Pooky brings a different tone to the group: more accessible, more playful and more digitally driven. The company was founded by Rohan Blacker, also known as the founder of Sofa.com. Pooky became known above all for decorative table lamps, portable lights and lampshades sold through colour, pattern and mix-and-match logic.
Visual Comfort is one of the established players in the upper end of the lighting market, with particular strength in decorative lighting, interior design projects, showrooms and hospitality- and contract-adjacent applications. Its portfolio spans decorative lighting, architectural lighting, outdoor lighting, fans, controls and shading. The company works with designer and brand lines including Ralph Lauren, Thomas O’Brien, Thom Filicia and Chapman & Myers.
Pooky is now set to gain broader access through Visual Comfort’s US trade and showroom network. A selection of products is scheduled to appear in Visual Comfort’s direct showrooms this summer.
That means Pooky is not only a consumer play. For Visual Comfort, the brand could also become relevant in project-led environments: boutique hotels, restaurants, retail spaces and high-end residential projects often look for exactly the decorative, colourful lighting accent that technical contract lighting alone does not provide.
The timing is not accidental. According to accounts filed with Companies House, Pooky’s revenue rose by 26.9 percent to £39.6 million in the financial year to 31 May 2025. Pre-tax profit reached £8.3 million. International business outside the UK was a particular growth driver.
Visual Comfort is therefore not just buying an assortment. It is buying access to a brand that works online, has already gained traction in the US market and speaks to a younger, design-conscious audience.
Pooky was never a brand built on British restraint. Colourful lampshades, decorative lamps, pattern, pace and plenty of online fluency: more domestic wit than quiet premium lighting. That mix now belongs to Visual Comfort & Co.
The US lighting company has acquired the British brand founded in 2014. Financial terms were not disclosed. Pooky is expected to remain independent, with no immediate changes planned for customers, partners or day-to-day operations.
For Visual Comfort, the deal is still more than another name in the portfolio. Pooky brings a different tone to the group: more accessible, more playful and more digitally driven. The company was founded by Rohan Blacker, also known as the founder of Sofa.com. Pooky became known above all for decorative table lamps, portable lights and lampshades sold through colour, pattern and mix-and-match logic.
Visual Comfort is one of the established players in the upper end of the lighting market, with particular strength in decorative lighting, interior design projects, showrooms and hospitality- and contract-adjacent applications. Its portfolio spans decorative lighting, architectural lighting, outdoor lighting, fans, controls and shading. The company works with designer and brand lines including Ralph Lauren, Thomas O’Brien, Thom Filicia and Chapman & Myers.
Pooky is now set to gain broader access through Visual Comfort’s US trade and showroom network. A selection of products is scheduled to appear in Visual Comfort’s direct showrooms this summer.
That means Pooky is not only a consumer play. For Visual Comfort, the brand could also become relevant in project-led environments: boutique hotels, restaurants, retail spaces and high-end residential projects often look for exactly the decorative, colourful lighting accent that technical contract lighting alone does not provide.
The timing is not accidental. According to accounts filed with Companies House, Pooky’s revenue rose by 26.9 percent to £39.6 million in the financial year to 31 May 2025. Pre-tax profit reached £8.3 million. International business outside the UK was a particular growth driver.
Visual Comfort is therefore not just buying an assortment. It is buying access to a brand that works online, has already gained traction in the US market and speaks to a younger, design-conscious audience.