The long-standing company said 2024 has been one of the toughest years, and it can no longer keep its doors open
Long-established camera and lighting kit hire company Pixipixel has closed down. In a statement posted on the firm’s social media channels, the closure was blamed on “significant challenges facing our industry.”
It said: “2024 has been one of the toughest years to endure, and sadly we need to announce that we can no longer keep our doors open.” Referencing the company’s distinctive logo, the statement added: “We just could not keep the colours in our dots shining.”
The statement has led to a flood of comments across LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and X from those saddened to see a much-admired company shut down.
On LinkedIn, Mark Wilson, business development manager at Soho Broadcast, said: “Another big name has fallen. I’ve been in the kit hire world for 14 years. The whole industry is hurting, but our sector in particular is taking some massive casualties.
“The last year and a half has seen many companies disappear including one that was so dear to my heart and soul, Alias Hire earlier this year.
“But with Pixi now shutting their doors, we see there is no end in sight to the carnage that is the rental world. I wish all those who worked at Pixi the best and hope they find new work soon.”
Pixipixel had been in operation for almost two decades and had prep facilities and warehouses in London and at The Sharp Project in Manchester. It supplied camera and lighting equipment for film, television, documentaries, commercials and pop promos.
Last year the company acquired fellow rental company, Pro Motion Hire.
At the time, Steve Knight, managing director of Pixipixel said: “This is a very exciting development for us. Pro Motion Hire is a great fit and we’re thrilled about working with the team, propelling Pixipixel’s expansion plans and increasing our market presence to support productions of all sizes nationwide”.
One week ago, Pixipixel was still supplying kit to productions, posting on LinkedIn: “The dots spotted on the move delivering kit to a London production set”, alongside a picture of one its vans on location.
And as recently as one month ago, the company was still investing in new kit. In a social media post, it had a ‘New Kit Alert’ about more battery generators being added to its rental inventory.
The company’s website has now been taken offline, and the final post on its social channels is shown in full below.
Pixipixel’s statement in full:
In this post, we would like to thank you, all our clients, for choosing Pixipixel and trusting us throughout the years.
Unfortunately, due to significant challenges facing our industry, 2024 has been one of the toughest years to endure, and sadly we need to announce that we can no longer keep our doors open. We just could not keep the colours in our dots shining.
A special thank you to our incredible team who made everything possible. We had an amazing ride, and we wish that we could have survived until 2025 as the saying goes.
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