ARRI Sells Its Global Rental Business – Management Buy-Out Backed by H2 Equity Partners

Industry NewsAcquisition

by Nino LeitnerJuly 13^th, 2026

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ARRI has agreed to sell its global rental operations in Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America to the division’s existing management team, backed by private equity firm H2 Equity Partners. The move ends decades of ARRI running its own rental houses alongside its manufacturing business and resolves what the company openly calls a structural conflict of interest, while the standalone rental group will transition to its own brand after a customary period.

If this sounds familiar, it should. When new ARRI owner Thomas Riedel sat down with CineD for an exclusive interview at NAB 2026 (embedded further down below), just days after signing his acquisition of the company, he told us he was not a strong believer in the model of selling equipment to rental houses while also competing with them at rental. Asked back then whether that thinking might change anything on the ARRI side, his honest answer was that he did not know yet. Three months later, we have the answer.

Why ARRI is letting go of its rental arm

The rationale stated in the official announcement is refreshingly direct for a corporate press release. As a manufacturer of camera and lighting technology, ARRI supplies customers and partners worldwide, and some of those customers are rental companies that compete directly with ARRI’s own rental activities. Every ALEXA 35 sold to an independent rental house was, in effect, a sale to a competitor of ARRI Rental. That tension has existed for decades, but under Riedel’s ownership it has now been resolved by simply separating the two businesses.

According to ARRI, the divestiture is a planned and significant element of its long-term strategic development. Going forward, the Munich-based company wants to concentrate on the development, production, and commercialization of camera, lighting, and software-based technologies, positioning itself as an independent technology partner to the entire media and entertainment industry rather than a partial competitor to its own customer base.

Thomas Riedel, who acquired ARRI earlier this year in a deal we covered in detail in our initial report on the acquisition, calls the transaction “a milestone in ARRI’s strategic transformation and future positioning.” He says it allows the company to direct investments more specifically toward technology development and new growth areas, while giving the rental business the freedom to develop independently and unlock additional market potential.

Notably, Illumination Dynamics, the lighting and grip rental provider, remains part of ARRI and is not included in the transaction.

A management buy-out, not a trade sale

The structure of the deal matters just as much as the deal itself. This is not a sale to a competitor or an anonymous holding company; it is a management buy-out led by ARRI Rental’s existing UK-based leadership team of Dana Harrison, Russell Allen, and Tamim Essaji, in partnership with H2 Equity Partners. Harrison will serve as CEO of the global rental business, while she and Andy Shipsides continue their leadership responsibilities in their respective regions.

Harrison frames the buy-out as a commitment rather than a change of ownership. “We know the business, our customers, and our craft, and through this management buy-out we’re taking ownership of its future,” she says in the announcement, promising customers the same teams, the same standards, and the same dedication, “but now with the focus and freedom of a business that’s ours to grow.”

H2 Equity Partners is an independent investment firm focused on medium-sized companies, with a track record in carve-outs and management buy-outs. ARRI Rental marks the eleventh investment of its Fund VI, which targets businesses in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Managing Partner Patrick Kalverboer points to ARRI Rental’s strong market position and highly qualified team, and says the firm intends to unlock additional growth opportunities together with the existing management.

Both sides emphasize that the two companies will continue to work closely together after the transaction. ARRI states it will remain a technology partner to all rental companies, and that direct exchange between rental users and product specialists will continue to feed customer feedback into new product development. The parties have agreed not to disclose financial details, and the closing of the transaction is expected once the contractually agreed conditions are fulfilled.

What happens to the ARRI Rental name and its exclusive glass?

One detail buried toward the end of the announcement deserves attention: the new standalone rental group will transition to its own brand after a customary transition period. In other words, the ARRI Rental name, one of the most recognizable in high-end production services, will eventually disappear from trucks, flight cases, and call sheets.

That raises questions the press release does not answer. ARRI Rental has spent years developing exclusive optics that are only available through its facilities, from the Prime DNA and DNA LF lenses to the ALFA and Moviecam series and the HEROES lineup. These lens programs were developed within the rental organization, often in collaboration with cinematographers like Greig Fraser, and have become a genuine creative differentiator for productions such as “Dune” and “The Batman”. Whether they travel with the new independent company, and under what name, remains to be seen. We have reached out for clarification and will update our coverage accordingly.

The bigger picture: a leaner, more focused ARRI

Seen in context, this sale is the latest step in a restructuring that has been underway for well over a year. ARRI sold its stage lighting subsidiary Claypaky to EK Inc. in 2025, cut jobs, and closed two German facilities before the Riedel acquisition closed in April. Since then, the company has doubled down on technology, from the ALEXA 35 Live deployment at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna to the recently announced ALEXA 35 Live Xtreme broadcast camera.

There is a certain irony worth acknowledging here. When Riedel acquired ARRI, much of the industry’s relief stemmed from the fact that the company had not fallen into private equity hands. Now the rental arm is heading exactly there, albeit in a structure where the people who built the business hold ownership alongside their financial backer. For rental customers, continuity of teams and standards is the promise; how a private equity ownership horizon shapes investment in inventory and exclusive technology over the coming years is the part productions will be watching closely.

For ARRI itself, the logic is hard to argue with. A manufacturer that no longer competes with its own customers is a more comfortable partner for every rental house on the planet, and that is a market ARRI needs on its side more than ever.

A cleaner-positioned ARRI and an independent rental giant with a new name on the way. What do you make of the move? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!

Featured image: Dana Harrison will serve as CEO of the global rental business. Image credit: ARRI