Interview with Olivier Maschino, President of CLAREO Lighting

Batinfo: As a reminder, can you introduce CLAREO?

Olivier Maschino: We are an innovative manufacturer of professional LED lighting. Our products are primarily installed in the commercial sector, always for professional clients. CLAREO's success is based on a unique model that combines the technical expertise of a leading manufacturer with unparalleled logistics.

CLAREO also stands out for having one of the largest design offices among lighting manufacturers in France, comprised of 20 experts, as well as a sales team of 60 people.

CLAREO is now an accredited PEP Verifier. This accreditation attests to our ability to perform quality control of our PEPs (Product Environmental Profiles), according to procedures based on the ISO 14025 standard.

To date, 27 CLAREO product lines have a PEP (Product Environmental Profile) and are listed in the INIES database. This is a further step that reflects our commitment to sustainable development and the continuous improvement of the environmental footprint of our lighting solutions.

Batinfo: What's new for you at the start of 2026?

Olivier Maschino: In a challenging market, companies are forced to spend more time reinventing themselves and adapting to the situation. And that's what we're doing. We're considering other market segments, other offerings, other countries, and so on.

Regarding CLAREO's business model, and that of lighting and LED lighting in general, we remain very enthusiastic because it's virtuous. It's good for the planet: there are few models today that ensure the more you sell, the more you produce, the better it is. Of course, many companies lead to consumption and overconsumption that aren't necessarily good for the planet.

What we find really positive here is that the more products we sell, the better. That's why we asked ourselves, "What does that look like over a year?" and we arrived at this figure of 34 million euros in savings on the electricity bills of businesses and communities in 2025. This is due to our ongoing work on improving the efficiency and energy performance of products, enabling us to significantly reduce electricity consumption.

This is also linked to the fact that CLAREO has established itself as a leading player in the market, rapidly expanding in France and internationally, and is positioned in the Top 5 of professional indoor lighting manufacturers in France.

When I say we can quantify the savings offered to clients, that's precisely what we do with CGS (CLAREO Global Solution). Among the seven services we offer, there's the on-site audit, an energy assessment for the client, which highlights potential savings. We also conduct studies on Energy Savings Certificates (CEE). We obviously supply the products, but also the installation and financing.

Thus, if the client subscribes to all of these services — which is not essential — they benefit from a turnkey offer financed with a single point of contact, allowing them to focus on their core business.

But that's not our only mission. It's divided into two parts: the other concerns the planet. We can also mention reducing CO2 emissions and improving user comfort.

Even in the building sector, not all products and business models allow us to simultaneously improve comfort, save energy — and therefore reduce bills — and protect the planet.

This was already the case in previous years, and it still is. Simply, the figures increase with the growth of the company.

Since we surrounded ourselves with financial partners in 2024, we want to intensify our international development and external growth.

We are meeting with a number of companies because we want to establish partnerships in France or internationally.

This approach is relatively new for CLAREO, as all the growth achieved up to €45 million last year was organic. Now, we want to complement this momentum with external growth.

In terms of our offerings, we decided last year to intensify our product development. In 2026, we plan to launch 44 new product lines.

These are complete product lines, comprising on average around ten different items. For example, for a track lighting fixture, the line includes all variations in color, power, etc. This represents almost four product launches per month.

In January 2026, we also unveiled our range of stand-alone solar lights with the launch of the FloodPark Solar TechThis lighting solution does not need to be connected to the electrical grid, which simplifies installation. These luminaires are designed for private outdoor areas, such as store parking lots or residential zones.

Batinfo: What is the role of Smart Lighting and intelligent technologies at CLAREO?

Olivier Maschino: Today, savings can be achieved by replacing older lighting technologies. Savings of around 50% can be achieved by switching from older generations of LEDs, with lower efficiency, to current, more efficient solutions.

Significant savings can also be achieved through smart lighting and smart buildings. Regarding smart lighting, we are developing our Sensor solution, which enables intelligent lighting.

Smart lighting relies on presence detection, twilight detection (based on ambient light), and programming. This addresses two key areas: energy savings and user comfort.

Thanks to programming, we can offer very advanced features that didn't exist 10 or 20 years ago. For example, our circadian lighting solution reproduces the natural color temperature throughout the day.

Humans are naturally designed to thrive outdoors, with warmer light in the morning, more intense and cooler light at midday, and warmer light again in the evening. Studies show that this is the environment in which people feel most at ease, comfortable, and productive. With our Smart Lighting solutions, we can recreate these conditions in offices.

It's also more pleasant, as the light changes gradually throughout the day. This helps to improve the attractiveness of offices, in a context where companies want to encourage employees to return to the office.

Lighting therefore plays a key role in the design, comfort and attractiveness of workspaces.

This is a promising trend, but in France, this type of innovation takes time to be adopted. Furthermore, these solutions are somewhat more expensive: they can represent an additional cost of 30 to 50%, but they pay for themselves quickly thanks to the energy savings generated, which can reach 50%.

Batinfo: What are your expectations for 2026?

Olivier Maschino: We do not believe the market will be significantly better than in 2025. Nevertheless, we hope for positive signs and growth exceeding last year's.

This is a rebound: until 2023, we were seeing growth between 20 and 30%, then between 5 and 10%. The market could be slightly better this year, although it remains uncertain.

Our CLAREO Global Solution, launched last year, has been gaining momentum since the beginning of this year. It is generating increasing interest because it allows for greater savings than the associated costs.

The project can be paid in monthly installments: the client has no initial investment, only a monthly charge that is less than the savings achieved. They don't pay anything upfront and start saving money from the very first month.

This is a suitable response to a tight market, where companies have less budget but need to reduce their energy costs.

This offering also allows customers to focus on their core business, without spending time on relamping. We therefore have high hopes for 2026. The offering was tested last year and is now fully operational, with strong growth in demand.

We are also focusing on a diversification strategy, through organic or external growth, towards other sub-segments such as retail or sports lighting. The goal is to launch projects in these sectors as early as this year.

Batinfo: What can we wish you for 2026?

Olivier Maschino: For the past 14 years, we have grown very successfully, but we cannot rest on our laurels. At CLAREO, we want to continue to grow, maintain our strategy, and retain our agility in the face of market changes.

Interview with Olivier Maschino, President of CLAREO Lighting (LinkedIn).