Arthur Earnshaw and Phillip Sheridan were both London theatre electricians when they set up their company.

In 1986, Rank Strand bought Quartzcolor, an Italian-based manufacturer of TV & film lighting.

[7] On 11 July 2006, the Genlyte Group, a US company, announced its acquisition of Strand Lighting.

Following the shift from Philips to Signify, Vari-Lite and Strand regained their standalone brand status in 2019, with a renewed commitment from the business to innovate and support the visions of creative artists worldwide.

When asked about the filing, Signify stated that this filing is a part of the ongoing unifying branding effort to centralize its entertainment lighting products in a single legal entity, Vari-Lite LLC, and with focus on the Vari-Lite brand for all new entertainment products.